Peppery Southern Grits with Sweet Heat Tomato Jam and Caramelized Chard

To make the Sweet Heat Tomato Jam:  Combine the halved tomatoes, canned tomatoes, balsamic, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot.  Cover and simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook another 10-20 minutes, until most of the liquid has steamed off and you reach a thick, jam-like consistency.
Season with salt and pepper.  Keep warm until ready to serve.  While the Tomato Jam simmers, you can make the Grits and Chard

To make Peppery Southern Grits: Combine the water, almond milk, black pepper, salt, paprika, cayenne, bay leaf, and garlic in a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
While the mixture is boiling, start whisking. Pour in the grits, while you continue to whisk. Keep whisking and let the grits come to a simmer. Whisk another minute or so, to be sure there are no clumps in the grits.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape out the corners to ensure no grits are sticking to the sides.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid and let any excess moisture cook off. You want to be able to hold a “line” when you scrape a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If the line doesn’t hold for a couple of seconds, the grits are too loose. Keep cooking.

When the grits are ready, taste to adjust seasoning.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the Caramelized Onion and Chard: Heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced onions and spread into a single layer in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are well-browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the chard and 1/4 cup water.  Continue cooking over medium heat.  Cook for at least 10 more minutes…or up to an hour.  If the mixture starts to dry out, add a couple tablespoons of water.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve the Peppery Southern Grits with Sweet Heat Tomato Jam and Caramelized Chard: Make a big pile of grits.  Top with the caramelized onion and chard.  Then spoon on a good portion of the sweet heat tomato jam.

Enjoy the warm hug from my Southern heart 🙂

For a full Southern meal, enjoy with Southern Style Vegan Cornbread, Sweet Corn Succotash, and Raw Chocolate Pecan Kentucky Derby Pie.

Chef Katie’s Tips:

Grit Tips: The key lies in good grits — Anson Mills and Palmetto Farms produce some of the best grits. You can use white grits, yellow grits, blue corn grits, or even Italian-style polenta. Whatever you do, though, avoid the instant. Because Southern love gets better with time.

Seasonal Tomatoes: Use the season’s best selection of tomatoes — you can use all fresh at the peak of summer, and all canned during the dark days of winter. Either way, make sure to keep some bigger tomato chunks to ensure a jammy texture.

Fall Squash Varieties: Use any varieties of fall squash for this recipe. Red Kuri squash, pumpkin, and Sweet Dumpling are some of my favorite. You need about a 2 to 2 ½ pound squash for this recipe.