Whenever I went to the southern states of the USA, I made it a special point to go to a Waffle House. There is something special about grits with extra butter at a Waffle House. I've recieved some fack from my family that Waffle House might be a little low-brow . . . I remember sitting at the counter, one time, next to two big burly and bearded truckers, who were discussing how much they were putting into their 402k verses investing in the stock market. Don't judge a puree by it's cover, or something like that.
Last week, I was challenged to make Chicken Arroz Caldo, which is very similar to Congee, and it washed over me that I should have a recipe for the "grey stuff".
"Try the grey stuff, it's delicious" - Beauty and the Beast
Every nationality has version of "grey stuff" or "mash" call it grits, oatmeal, gruel, porridge, polenta, farina, sour cream porridge, etc. It is what I call "mash potatoes for breakfast and brunch". The point being that it is familiar, and you can mix in other things to make it worth while.
The importance is that you can make a pot, and if you are the person who can only eat 1 cup to 250 ml at a time, you can keep the pot warm on the stove (slow cooker) all morning.
I discovered that the morning meal is key because you just woke up and some morning, you want something plain that won't ruin your day. Yea, this meal is for the crabby person who is in a pissy mood. Someday you just need to make something that you just don't want to fight over. I've been there done that. I've woken up a number of morning where, the pain the night before was un-real, and I just could not sleep.
Other morning, you make up and your stomach fells "wonky". Maybe you had reflux issues all night. You want something "safe".
There are five parts to the recipe - grey stuff, water, protein, fat, fruit/veggie. I post them in this order, because if you have to leave something out, this is the order of importance.
RECIPE FOR TWO CUPS OF PUREE
2/3 cup of grey stuff
tablespoon sized piece of protein (chicken or mild sausage)
2 Pats of fat (like butter)
1/4 cup of fruit or veggie - (fruit jams count as well)
1 cup of water
WATER
This is going to vary depending on how thick you have made your starch in the beginning. Use warm water if the mash is cold; use cold water is the mash is hot. This morning was the first time I ever made grits. It was perfect, until I let it sit on the stove for 30 minutes, and then it was more like a grit patty . . . lesson learned
EGGS
Most people opt for eggs in their morning mash. One cooked egg is perfect sized.
CHICKEN
I have discovered that chicken in breakfast mash is really pretty terrific. It leaves a happy taste in my mouth. Most recently, I have been cooking dark meat on the bone in a slow cooker, to get the bone broth benefits. I pick the meat off the bones and store in in the juices in the refrigerator. Yea, it's unattractive to look at, but it make it easy to portion out into a morning puree. Make sure you serve the puree warm, or the fat in the chicken tends to slow down or clog tummy tubes,
FAT
If you are not using chicken fat. Add a pat of butter to the mash. Some morning (don't tell my family) I will scoop out a pat of bacon grease to flavor the mash. Close to Godliness.
FRUIT
In America, it is very popular to mix fruit in your mash - strawberries, and blueberries at the top of the list. I also like to mix in jams and marmalades. A little orange marmalade, help tames the savage beast.
VEGGIES
Be careful adding veggies that are not normal to the mash meal. This is not a time to try and be "healthy". Pick your battles, and a pissy cancer treatment patient, is not a beast to be challenge first thing in the morning. Remember, the food does no good if we don't get it in the belly.
My home away from home for grits.
GET YOU SOME OF THAT.
GET YOU SOME OF THAT.
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I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors. Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.
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