COOK: Sharp Cheddar Grits & Greens with Garlic, Bacon, and Pickled Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

• What kind of greens should I use?
• How to prepare the greens
• What else can I serve with grits and greens?
• How to Make Cheddar Grits with Garlicky Greens, Bacon, and Wild Mushrooms
• Sharp Cheddar Grits With Mustard Greens, Bacon, Garlic, and Wild Mushrooms

There are few things I love for breakfast more than a big bowl of sharp cheddar grits topped with garlicky mustard greens, bacon, onion, and pickled chicken of the woods mushrooms. You can take a girl out of the south, but you can’t make her give up her cheese grits and greens…

I added some pickled wild mushroom conserve into the mix and elevate this everyday staple into a gourmet treat. While the experts don’t recommend canning wild mushrooms (as they have varying densities and are hard to standardize or test instructions) you can make a refrigerated fridge pickle and keep them quite well, especially sturdy, meaty mushrooms like chicken of the woods.

Don’t have any wild mushroom pickles in your kitchen? Don’t fret! You can substitute sauteed fresh or canned regular mushrooms, or some sliced pickled button mushrooms in your cheese grits and this dish will still taste wild (and delicious)!

What kind of greens should I use?

Mustard greens or a blend of collards, turnip, and mustard greens are a very traditionally southern “mess o’ greens”, but you can substitute kale, dandelion greens, escarole, or your favorite sturdy bitter braising greens in this dish. You could also use chard or beet greens for a less-bitter but still iron-rich twist.

How to prepare the greens

Whichever you choose, be sure to wash them well, and before rolling and chopping or tearing your greens into strips, strip the leaves from the stems. You can either toss the stems in your compost, or mince them very fine and give them a longer saute than the rest (but only if they’re particularly young and tender greens, otherwise the larger stems are coarse and fibrous and should be tossed).

Chard stems are the exception, and are usually quite tender! Either chop those and saute them briefly before adding the greens to the pan, or save them to make chard “fries” or refrigerator pickles.

What else can I serve with grits and greens?

To make this brunch “eggstra” special, add fried or poached eggs or sauteed shrimp on top to add protein to power you through your day, and spice it up with your favorite hot sauces!

I like a classic vinegar-forward southern red pepper sauce like Louisiana on a bowl of cheese grits and greens, to add zip and flavor without a ton of heat, but use whatever you love!

If you can’t take the heat, but want to add brightness, a spoonful of chow-chow or green tomato pickle can be nice with these, although if you’re using the pickled mushroom conserve, that will also add some acidity to wake up the flavors.

Leave out the bacon (or use turkey or veggie bacon) if you don’t eat pork, or to make these vegetarian grits.

This bowl of sharp cheddar grits and greens is the simplest of soul food meals, and oh so satisfying! It’s rich, but just the kind of nutritious comfort food you’ll be craving on a cold winter day (or before tackling whatever chores you have on your plate after this- you may not have a farm to tend to but you still need fuel to shovel that driveway, right?).

How to Make Cheddar Grits with Garlicky Greens, Bacon, and Wild Mushrooms

Prepare cheddar cheese grits:

• Combine all ingredients except cheese in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until grits have thickened and are smooth.
  • The coarser the grits, the longer this takes, so be patient. Stir often or they will scorch.
• If you don’t want to stir constantly to prevent scorching, you can use a crockpot or double boiler.
  • This method is slower but less hands on, so you can be doing something else while your grits cook… like prepping and cooking your greens!
• Note: If you are prepping ahead, you can pre-soak the grits in the liquid overnight (Put them in the fridge if you are using meat or vegetable stock or milk, otherwise a cool place is fine). Soaked grits will cook faster and are less likely to scorch before they’re done.

Sauteed garlicky greens with bacon & mushrooms:

• Wash greens well to remove any grit. Shake off any excess moisture but do not dry the greens. Pick over and strip coarse stems from the leaves. Cut or tear the leaves into ribbons or small pieces.
  • If you like the stems, slice thinly and keep separate from the leaves. Stems should be sliced very thin into 1/4″ discs or half-moons.
• Stack and slice the bacon into lardons (thin strips) or dice. Saute the bacon in a large heavy pan, ideally cast iron, over medium low heat to render the fat and crisp up the bacon.
• If you are using the chopped stems of your greens, add those to the pan with the bacon as soon as it starts to give up some fat.
  • You can add a little butter or olive oil to the pan if they’re sticking.
• If you don’t have mushroom conserve and are using fresh or canned regular or wild mushrooms, add those to the pan just after the green stems are tender and let the mushrooms saute a bit and release their moisture (if you are using pickled mushrooms, wait and add those at the end)
• Add garlic to the pan and stir until it is fragrant and starts to color (don’t brown or scorch it).
• Add the washed, sliced greens to the pan and let wilt. The water clinging to the leaves will help steam them. Stir and saute over medium to medium-low heat until tender.
• Add the mushroom conserve and stir gently until warmed through (chicken of the woods are very sturdy mushrooms and can be added earlier if you like).