Mushroom & Walnut Grit Cakes

Grits are a Southern staple and delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This humble ingredient makes a wonderful medium for expressing other ingredients, especially mushrooms. By simply adding a touch of butter, a little cheese and an egg, grits bake up beautifully into tender cakes, perfect for topping with an earthy and flavorful walnut-mushroom sauce.

Mushroom & Walnut Grit Cakes

Ingredients

Grits:

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup 2% low fat milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup stone-ground grits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Mushroom Walnut Topping

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 1 pound gourmet blend mushrooms (sometimes called chef’s mix), finely chopped
• 2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and divided
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

To prepare grits, combine broth, milk and salt in a medium saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently, until grits are thickened and tender. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9X9- inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Add egg to grits, stirring well to combine. Pour grits into prepared baking pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until grits are set.

Preheat broiler to high; broil grits 1-2 minutes or until golden. Cool. To prepare topping, heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; cook 5-6 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1 ounce prosciutto, cook 5 minutes. Add butter, wine, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook 15 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed and mushrooms are tender. Stir in walnuts and thyme. Cook 5 minutes.

Cut grits into 9 squares. Top with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with remaining ounce of prosciutto. Drizzle with additional balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Serves 6.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.