Grits: Born, Loved and Hated in the USA

Had grits this morning and was reminded of my love for this controversial breakfast fare.

What are grits anyhow? I can hardly eat them without thinking of the hilarious scene from My Cousin Vinny.

The only thing that people seem to know about grits is that they are made from corn. I also know for a fact that they are far superior to their cousin hominy. Ever tried that stuff? Like corn on steroids, but then kind of mushy, depending I guess on how it's cooked. Gross.
 
According to Wikipedia, we can thank the Native Americans for grits. Who would have thought they did anything special with corn?

I wonder if when Columbus sailed the ocean blue he found two camps of Native Americans: Those who loved grits and those who hated them, because there is absolutely no middle ground in modern America. Everyone I know is zealous one way or the other. Some people who claim to not like them admit to never having tried them. I have given up on pushing grits to grit-haters for lack of success.

Being from the South, I grew up on standard grits, not the cheese-flavored varieties and other fancy travesties. I am a purist. Focus on getting the consistency right so they aren't too runny or too stiff. After that all you need is butter, salt and pepper.

Hot Chicken Pasta - Amerigo, Nashville

Fried chicken and pasta? What’s not to like?

Last week my colleague and I went to Amerigo for lunch. It’s a good Italian restaurant, so I expected to order one of the traditional pasta dishes I’ve had before, a caeser salad or maybe a Panini. I hadn’t been in a while and the menu had changed. Immediately the special of the day jumped out – hot chicken pasta. Fits perfectly in my strict high-carb diet.

Unless you are from Nashville, have visited Nashville, or some Southern city that replicates hot chicken, you can’t truly understand hot chicken.

If Emeril were to describe it, he might call it Southern fried chicken “kicked up a few notches,” followed by a “BAM!”

It’s a secret combination of spices that somehow adds a firey kick without compromising the juiciness. To understand it is to experience it.

Check out this video as background.

Former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell is so obsessed with it that he created the Nashville Hot Chicken Festival. Mrs. H-CC and I attended this year for the second time. Only a glorious celebration of fried chicken and locally-brewed beer would lure us to stand in line for an hour to eat hot food outside, in the middle of the day, in 100 degree weather, with thousands of strangers.

But back to Amerigo…

While it may not be on par with Nashville’s Prince’s, it tastes pretty authentic. And the pairing with fettuccini and cream sauce is unique. It’s not something you could pair with a tomato sauce. Could have done with more scallions on top, for variety if nothing else.

The dish was good enough that I’d order it again. But it really just made me want more hot chicken.