Cheesy baked grits a deeply satisfying staple

A kind of carbo-licious porridge made from dried and coarsely ground corn, grits are to Southern cuisine what potatoes are to Northern cuisine - a deeply satisfying staple.

Like squash, tomatoes and deep-pit barbecuing, grits came to define Southern cooking via the cuisines of such southeast American Indian tribes as the Caddo, Choctaw and Seminole.

These days we're starting to see grits all over the country.

Cheesy Baked Grits

Start to finish: 1 hour, 5 minutes (10 active)

Servings: 4 to 6

2½cups water combined with either 2½cups vegetable or chicken broth or 5 cups water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup grits (not quick-cooking)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Stir together the water, butter, grits and salt (if using salted vegetable or chicken stock, do not add salt) in a 1-quart ceramic pie plate set on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler. Stir in three-quarters of the cheese, stirring until melted. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and put the grits on a shelf in the upper third of the oven, under the broiler until nicely browned. Serve right away.

Nutrition information per serving: 196 calories; 114 calories from fat; 13 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 37 mg cholesterol; 708 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 9 g protein.