Cornmeal is one of the healthiest. It contains carotene (provitamin A), vitamins B1, B2, C, PP, as well as the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, which are necessary for our health. Corn grits not only nourishes the body, but also, due to its high fiber content, cleanses it of toxins and radionuclides, and also reduces fermentation in the intestines. That is why she is loved all over the world. There are many different recipes for dishes from corn grits. The most popular of them are banosh, polenta and hominy.
To make these dishes tasty and healthy, you need to take perfectly yellow corn grits of such grinding to get a healthy dish, but with a delicate creamy texture. TM Zhmenka corn grits will be optimal for such recipes.
How to cook all these corn porridge? What is their feature? And FeelGood will answer you.
Hutsul banosh: recipe
Banosh - Hutsul corn porridge with sour cream and cream - a visiting card of Western Ukraine. Banosh (banush) is served with mushroom sauce, cracklings or simply sprinkled with cheese (in the original - sheep).
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You will need:
850 ml sour cream
For the mushroom sauce:
0.5 kg of champignons,
small bulb
200 ml sour cream
1 st. l. flour
How to cook banosh:
We dilute sour cream with a glass of water, then pour it into a cast-iron cauldron and bring to a boil. After that, stirring constantly, add corn grits to the sour cream. You should get a thick homogeneous mass. We reduce the heat to a slow one and begin to rub the porridge with a spoon so that the drops of the formed oil come to the surface. Add salt and a pinch of sugar if desired. You will notice when the banosh is cooked - it will easily move away from the walls of the boiler.
Mushroom sauce
Finely chop the onion, fry in a small amount of oil, add thinly sliced champignons, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir flour into sour cream and add to mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes and turn off.
When the banosh is ready, pour over the mushroom sauce and, if desired, sprinkle with grated cheese.
Italian polenta recipe
Polenta is a traditional Italian dish made from cornmeal or groats. Usually, polenta is used as a side dish or as an independent dish with various additives (mushrooms, meat, anchovies, etc.), fried or baked, etc.
You will need:
250 g corn grits TM "Zhmenka"
750 ml water
100 g butter
How to cook polenta:
Salt the water and pour into a saucepan with thick walls. Boil. Now you need to gradually add corn grits, constantly stirring the future porridge with a wooden spoon. To avoid lumps, maintain the same temperature - it should be close to boiling.
When the cereal is completely poured into the pan, reduce the heat and cook the polenta for about half an hour (remembering to stir constantly). The finished polenta, like the banosh, will begin to separate from the sides of the pot.
After the porridge is ready, add butter to it and mix well with a spoon or chop with a blender. Put in a mold and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes over low heat. Cut cold polenta into cubes, brush with olive oil and grill on both sides.
Polenta can be topped with a variety of vegetables, seafood, or generously sprinkled with cheese.
Moldavian hominy: recipe
Mamaliga is the foundation of the Romanian and Moldavian cuisine. According to legend, hominy is "a piece of the sun that God gave to the Romanians." It is always served with sour cream seasoned with garlic and grated cheese.
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You will need:
500 g corn grits TM "Zhmenka"
100 g butter
Salt to taste
How to cook hominy:
Boil water, adding oil and salt to it in the desired amount. When the water boils, add the corn grits, remembering to constantly stir the porridge so that no lumps form.
Now, still stirring, leave the hominy to cook on low heat for half an hour (no need to cover with a lid). Then we turn the finished porridge onto a large dish.
If desired, add sour cream, cheese, cracklings or melted butter to the hominy.
Corn grits, the beneficial properties of which we will describe below, are very often used in cooking. In terms of its nutritional value, it is in no way inferior to other types of similar products.
Today we will tell you about what properties this ingredient has, what can be prepared from it, and so on.
History reference
What is corn grits? The beneficial properties of this product are known to many. But not everyone will be able to tell about where such a fruit as corn originates.
American researchers organized many expeditions, as a result of which they explored all of South America. But this did not give any knowledge of who is the wild progenitor of the presented product. And only in 1948, during a long study of caves and laborious excavations in southern Mexico, scientists still managed to find prehistoric cobs. It is noteworthy that they practically did not differ in any way from modern types of corn.
Corn grits: useful properties
Before telling you about what can be prepared from the presented ingredient, you should tell what properties it generally has.
Corn grits are a very valuable and nutritious product. It contains vitamins B2, B1 and PP, up to 75% carbohydrates, as well as provitamin A and carotene. That is why this ingredient is very often recommended for use by the elderly, as well as those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
The special properties of corn grits allow you to use it at least every day. After all, the presented product is easily digestible.
Product calorie content
Cooking corn grits does not take much time. However, it should be noted that many of the fair sex are afraid to eat dishes containing this ingredient. What is it connected with? The fact is that 100 g of corn grits contains about 325 kilocalories. But, despite the high energy value, this product is still unable to negatively affect your ideal forms. After all, the carbohydrates contained in it are complex. That is why your body needs a lot of energy to digest them.
It is impossible not to say that with the regular use of corn porridge, you are able to cleanse your body of toxins and pesticides.
Composition of cereals
Corn groats, the beneficial properties of which are undeniable, contain a lot of trace elements. Among them, I would like to highlight silicon, which has a positive effect on hair growth and tooth strength.
Porridge from such cereals is able to suppress all putrefactive processes occurring in the intestines. This fact is explained by the fact that this dish contains a large amount of dietary fiber.
As you know, corn grits includes 8.3% proteins. However, they are incomplete and poorly digested. And this means that a person who regularly uses the product we are considering will never get better and will not get fat.
As mentioned above, corn grits contain a lot of trace elements and vitamins. That is why in those countries where dishes from this ingredient are quite common, people suffer the least from cardiovascular diseases.
Corn grits: harm to the product
Like any food rich in trace elements and vitamins, corn grits also has its contraindications. It can harm a person if it is used during an exacerbation of a duodenal ulcer and stomach ulcer, as well as with individual intolerance.
It is impossible not to say that doctors strongly discourage the use of dishes made on the basis of corn or corn grits for people with a small body weight. This is primarily due to the fact that this product has a direct effect on appetite, significantly lowering it.
medical research
Dishes from corn grits, the recipes of which we will consider later, do not lose the properties described above even after heat treatment. That is why this product is recommended for those who want to cleanse their intestines and the body as a whole from radionuclides and toxins.
It should also be noted that traditional medicine advises every day to include corn grits in your diet for various diseases of the reproductive system, in the treatment of infertility, painful menstruation, decreased libido and menopause.
By the way, cereals, the recipes of which, as you will see for yourself, do not include many expensive ingredients, can reduce the harmful effects of fried fatty foods and alcohol on the human body.
We make hominy
The presented dish is very popular in Moldova, Romania and Western Ukraine. Moreover, it is regularly boiled in the Caucasus.
Porridge from or cereals is very healthy and nutritious. With all this, her recipe is incredibly simple.
So, we need:
- corn grits - a full glass;
- filtered drinking water - 3 cups (you can use milk);
- iodized salt, sand-sugar - use at your discretion.
Cooking principle
Usually it turns out quite hard and thick, with a specific taste and aroma. This product is boiled for about half an hour, increasing in volume by 3 or 4 times.
The recipe for this dish is surprisingly simple. After boiling water or milk, sand-sugar, sea salt and corn grits are placed in the same container. After boiling again, the fire is reduced to a minimum. Cook such a dish until the corn grains are completely softened. In this case, the porridge needs to be stirred regularly. In conclusion, the container must be tightly closed, wrapped in a blanket and left in this form for ¼ hours. After the specified time, the porridge should be flavored with butter and served at the table while still warm.
By the way, such a dish with the addition of pumpkin and dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots) is very tasty and nutritious.
What else is made from corn?
Now you know how groats. It should be noted that the presented product is the result of careful processing of corn cobs. However, one cannot help but recall that other products are also made from such a fruit (for example, puffed corn and corn flakes). These products are very palatable and digestible much better than coarse corn grits. They are ideal for seasoning various soups. In addition, they can be easily served with tea, milk and other drinks. And, most importantly, before using them, you do not need to further process them.
Storage conditions
As you can see, making porridge from corn grits is not so difficult. But in order for such a dish to turn out really tasty, it is extremely important to properly store the main ingredient. How exactly? We will talk about this right now.
The main storage conditions for corn grits are the correct humidity and temperature conditions. In the room where this product is kept, the air humidity should be about 60-70%, and the temperature should be about +5...-5°C.
This storage mode is quite difficult to create at home. That is why it is recommended to stock up on such cereals for no more than one month. Otherwise, mites or insect larvae can easily get into the product.
We have dealt with the premises. But what about the container where the cereal will be placed? Store corn grits in glass jars, which are closed with plastic lids.
It must also be said that if the humidity in the room is too high, then the product may become rancid, acquire a musty smell and even mold. In this case, the porridge you cooked will not have the proper taste and aroma.
If the pests in the product still wound up, then the cabinet where it was stored should be washed well with hot water, and then dried and ventilated. As for the affected cereal, it must be thrown away.
Cornmeal porridge is an extremely healthy product. It is made from ground dried corn kernels. Porridge can be consumed as a separate dish, or as a side dish for meat and vegetable salads.
Bread is baked from cornmeal, pies and various sweets are made. Delicious dietary soups are obtained from this cereal. Flakes are used in muesli as a quick breakfast.
Tablets are even made from these cereals. Flour is also used in cosmetology to make masks.
Corn grits are of the following types:
- Large grind. Such grains are used to make flakes. They are made from corn kernels.
- Small grind. This flour is used to make a favorite delicacy of children - corn sticks.
- Sanded. Particles of kernels of various sizes are added to this cereal. Grains are polished on special equipment. Each grain has rounded edges.
General information about corn
In ancient times, American Indians worshiped corn. They considered this plant sacred. Medicines were made from the leaves of the shrub. Even now, alternative medicine practitioners treat hepatitis with a tincture of corn leaves. And from the hairs - stigmas make a decoction that treats indigestion.
The calorie content of corn porridge per 100 grams is approximately 330 kcal.
The dish is rich in useful trace elements, and also does not cause allergies at all. Therefore, doctors allow it to be used even by small children.
- fatty acids: linolenic, arachidonic, which control the level of cholesterol in the blood;
- vegetable protein, which is a building material for muscles;
- vitamins of group B, A, E;
- calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, silicon.
What is useful corn porridge
The uniqueness of the product is that it retains its valuable qualities during cooking and frying. And all the useful trace elements and vitamins contained in the product are very easily absorbed by the body.
The benefits of corn porridge:
- Regular use of the yellow product prevents depression in people, as well as chronically bad mood. Psychologists and nutritionists have proved the fact of the influence of the color of the product on the psycho-emotional state of a person.
- Strengthening the nervous and immune systems. This is due to the content of valuable vitamins B5, B1. For people with mental disorders, doctors strongly recommend eating this dish.
- Prolongation of youth and beauty, due to the presence of vitamins A, E.
- Vitamin PP regulates all important functions of the body.
- Eating for breakfast normalizes bowel function.
- A large amount of fiber, which is contained in cereals, helps to eliminate harmful toxins from the body.
- Rich in carbohydrates and carotene. And these are valuable trace elements that support strength, energy in the body in the absence of physical exertion.
- Grains strengthen the heart and blood vessels. Valuable cereals regulate cholesterol levels, relieve blood vessels from harmful plaques. Therefore, regular consumption of them prevents heart attacks and strokes.
- Recommended for expectant mothers. It contributes to the proper formation of the fetus, due to the content of valuable folic acid.
- Corn porridge is a versatile product that is suitable not only as a breakfast, but also as side dishes, soups for meat and fish dishes.
- A cereal product is a must for those who want to lose weight! After all, despite his satiety, he leaves no chance for the deposition of extra pounds.
Despite such an impressive list of advantages, there are also contraindications:
- This product is low calorie. Therefore, it is contraindicated in people suffering from a lack of mass.
- In the presence of a stomach ulcer, it is also not recommended to use.
- For diseases of the liver and gallbladder, you should consult a doctor, and then use this product.
Anyone can cook corn porridge. This activity will take no more than 30 minutes.
Corn porridge recipes
It would seem that cooking corn porridge is as easy as shelling pears! But this unique product requires compliance with its own rules.
- To improve the taste, pieces of baked pumpkin, dried apples, apricots, prunes, canned peaches, pineapples, as well as raisins, peanuts and nuts can be added to the dish.
- For a salty dish, sugar should not be added. It is enough to add grated cheese and tomato paste.
- Corn product is extremely useful. Since it contains all the valuable trace elements and vitamins.
- Regular use improves intestinal motility, has a beneficial effect on the liver.
- The finished dish can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and the cereal itself can be stored for about 2 years. Before buying, you should carefully look at the date of manufacture of cereals.
- When cooking, 4 parts of liquid are added to 1 part of the cereal.
- It is better to cook porridge in a thick-walled cast-iron cookware.
- If the dish after cooking turned out to be tough, then it should be darkened over low heat for another 5-10 minutes.
- So that the porridge does not burn, it should be stirred all the time during cooking.
- Store the cereal product in a dark, cool place. A dry glass jar with an airtight lid is best suited for this.
- Before cooking, the cereals should be thoroughly washed, foreign particles should be removed from it.
- For a sweet dish, it is better to use honey, not sugar.
- To work in the kitchen you need high-quality utensils. A cast iron pan with a thick bottom will do. After all, wide walls retain heat longer, thanks to which the taste of the dish is better revealed. In Russia, all cereals were cooked in ovens in thick cast-iron pots.
How to cook corn porridge in water
Corn porridge on the water is a delicious, quick and healthy breakfast for the whole family.
To prepare 2 servings, you will need the following products:
- corn grits - half a glass;
- water - 2 glasses;
- oil - 20 grams;
- honey - 2 teaspoons;
- salt - a pinch;
- dried apricots.
How to cook:
- Pass the cereal through a sieve, and then wash.
- Take another pan, pour 0.5 liters of water, salt, then bring to a boil.
- Pour cereal into boiling water, make a smaller fire, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring thoroughly.
- Add oil to the cooked porridge, cover the pan tightly with a lid, wrap the dishes with a towel to let the dish steam and gain flavor.
- Arrange on plates, and top with raisins and dried apricots. If there are fresh berries and fruits, then you can add them to the plates.
How to cook corn porridge with milk
Milk corn porridge recipe:
- Take a medium-sized saucepan, pour 150 grams of dry cereal into it.
- Pour the mixture with purified water, a volume of 300 ml.
- Porridge should boil, and then cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Readiness will be indicated by bubbles on its surface. It begins to increase in volume and "shoot".
- Before the end of cooking, salt should be added, as well as add 10 grams of butter. After 5 minutes, turn off the gas, let it brew under a closed lid for another 10 minutes.
- While the delicacy is gaining taste, we start cooking milk. To do this, pour 1 cup of milk into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Pour milk into a saucepan with porridge, turn on a small fire again and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- You can add sugar or honey, as well as various dried fruits and nuts, so the dish is not only satisfying, but also healthy.
Children love corn porridge with milk. This is a very nutritious and healthy product for a growing organism.
Popular cornmeal dishes
Corn flour pie
Required Ingredients:
- wheat flour - 200 grams;
- finely ground cornmeal - 200 grams;
- sugar - 150 grams;
- egg - 1 pc.;
- milk - 1 glass;
- vegetable oil - 70 grams;
- baking powder - 3 teaspoons;
- salt - 1 teaspoon;
- raspberries.
Cooking method:
- Set the oven to preheat to 200 °C and brush with deco oil. During this time, take on the dough.
- Pour wheat and corn flour into a large container. Add salt, sugar, baking powder. To mix everything.
- Beat the egg into the flour mixture, pour in the milk and vegetable oil, and then mix again.
- Grease the top of the cake with egg yolk to make the crust ruddy.
- Arrange raspberries around the edge of the pie. Instead of berries, you can use slices of orange, banana or pineapple.
- Put the viscous dough on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
Italian polenta with cheese
Required Ingredients:
- corn grits - 100 grams;
- Parmesan cheese - 50 grams;
- butter - 10 grams;
- water - 400 grams;
- salt - to taste.
How to cook:
- Take a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour water into it and put on fire.
- Grate the cheese.
- As soon as the water boils, pour the cereal into the pan in a thin stream, stirring constantly so that there are no lumps.
- Reduce the heat, while continuing to stir, cook the porridge for another 5 minutes, until there is no water left in the container.
- As soon as the mass becomes so dense that it is able to hold a spoon, the fire can be turned off. (Time of full readiness - 25-30 minutes).
- Put the thick mass on a pastry board, let it cool slightly.
- Roll out this mass and make various shapes out of it using confectionery molds. You can also use silicone molds, which should be filled with porridge.
- Take a baking sheet, grease it and put figures from corn porridge on it.
- Put a small piece of butter on each figure and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Place the deco in the oven preheated to 100°C. We set a timer for 20 minutes. During this time, the cheese should melt, forming a ruddy crispy crust on top of the cakes.
- The finished composition can be topped with caramelized pear or honey.
Corn porridge with mushrooms
Required Ingredients:
Corn porridge in a slow cooker
Required Ingredients:
- cereals 200 grams;
- water - 1.5 cups;
- milk - 1 glass;
- sugar - 1 tablespoon;
- salt - half a teaspoon;
- oil - 50 grams.
Recipe for corn porridge in a slow cooker:
- Sift the cereal and pass running water through it.
- Pour the resulting mixture into the bowl and add sugar and salt.
- Pour 1 glass of water and 1 glass of boiled milk into the bowl.
- How long to cook corn porridge? Usually the timer is set for 25 minutes.
- As soon as the food is cooked, set the "Heating" mode. This is to keep her sane.
Mashed porridge can be cooked in a double boiler. To do this, pour half a glass of cereal into the bowl and pour it with 2 glasses of water. Set the timer for 30 minutes and then add a spoonful of honey and a pinch of salt. After that, hold for another 5 minutes.
At the end, it should turn out soft and delicate in texture. Therefore, if coarse grains are available, then it should be ground with a blender or coffee grinder. But in no case should you turn the cereal into dust. Grains should be up to 1 mm.
Corn porridge in a slow cooker is the best solution for preparing breakfast. Morning meal is an energy boost for the whole day. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right diet for yourself for breakfast - this is health for the whole family!
Grains are an important part of a complete and balanced diet. From an early age, various cereals appear in the diet of children, which give growing babies a lot of energy and useful elements. And adults should not forget about cereals, because they are a source of complex carbohydrates, so they allow you to forget about the feeling of hunger for a long time and not gain extra pounds. One of the most useful cereals is corn. But not everyone knows how to use corn grits, what can be cooked from it. So here are the proven recipes.
Corn casserole with cottage cheese
To prepare such a dish, you will need one and a half glasses of corn grits, two and a half glasses of water, three hundred grams of cottage cheese, half a glass of sour cream, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, a couple of yolks, a bunch of dill or parsley and a couple of teaspoons of salt.
First, rinse the cereal and drain the liquid from it. Fill a saucepan with water, bring it to a boil and add salt. Pour prepared cereals into boiling water, pour in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once the water boils again, reduce the heat to low. After fifteen to twenty minutes, you need to remove the pan from the heat and bring the porridge to readiness in the oven or in a water bath.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Mix one egg yolk with a small pinch of salt and sour cream. The second should be combined with cottage cheese, and the same small pinch of salt.
Set the oven to heat up.
Grease a suitable baking dish with vegetable oil. Put half of the corn porridge in it, smooth with a spoon. Put a layer of cottage cheese on top, smooth and cover with the rest of the porridge. Also smooth the surface with a spoon.
Pour the contents of the form with prepared sour cream and put in the oven, heated to one hundred and eighty degrees, for twenty minutes.
Chop the greens smaller and sprinkle the finished casserole with it.
You can make soup from corn grits.
Cornmeal soup with mushrooms
It is not difficult to prepare such a tasty and interesting soup. Boil porridge from corn grits first (use four liters of water per kilogram of grits).
Prepare mushroom broth, strain it and bring to a boil. Put the potatoes, chopped into slices, and ready-made mushrooms, cut into strips, in a saucepan. After a quarter of an hour, send the finished corn porridge to the pan.
Fry the roast: heat a frying pan with a little vegetable oil, brown finely chopped onions and grated carrots on it. Put the finished roast in the soup, salt and season, focusing on your taste preferences. After eight to ten minutes, sprinkle the finished soup with parsley and turn off the heat. Leave the soup under the lid for five minutes, then serve with sour cream.
You can cook porridge.
Corn porridge with pumpkin
To prepare such a tasty, nutritious and very healthy dish, Popular Health readers need to prepare a glass of corn grits, two hundred grams of pumpkin and three tablespoons of sugar. It is also worth using half a liter of milk, a little salt and one hundred milliliters of water.
First of all, wash the pumpkin, remove the peel from it and remove the seeds. Chop the vegetable into small pieces. Boil water in a saucepan and send the prepared pumpkin into it. Boil for five minutes.
During this time, rinse the corn grits and drain the water from it. Add milk to a saucepan with pumpkin, add cereal, as well as sugar and salt. Bring the future porridge to a boil and reduce the heat to a minimum. Boil on a fire of minimum power for half an hour. Stir the cooked porridge from time to time, as it can easily burn. Next, wrap the pan with porridge well and leave for twenty minutes.
banosh
To prepare such an interesting national Hutsul dish, you should stock up on one hundred grams of corn grits, half a liter of sour cream, two hundred grams of cheese, two hundred grams of pork pulp, a teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt.
Take a thick-walled saucepan, pour sour cream into it and bring to a boil. Salt and add sugar. Then add corn grits to the container, stirring gradually. Reduce heat to low and cook until tender, stirring constantly. The finished banosh will begin to lag behind the surface of the walls and bottom of the pan, and oil droplets will appear on it.
Finely chop the pork and fry in a pan until golden. Salt to taste. Grind the cheese into arbitrary pieces.
Banosh should be served hot. It is cut into pieces, sprinkled with pork and pieces of cheese.
For today, recipes with corn grits will end with dessert.
Cornmeal dessert
To prepare such a dish, it is worth preparing three hundred and fifty grams of corn grits, four tablespoons of cornmeal, three hundred milliliters of water, two hundred milliliters of milk, a couple of bananas, one teaspoon of sugar and a couple of tablespoons of cream.
Combine water with milk. Boil corn grits on such a mixture, adding flour. Cool the resulting mixture and put it on cling film, lubricating it with vegetable oil beforehand. Smooth out the surface of the porridge.
Combine bananas with sugar and cream, mix until smooth. Put this mass on top of the porridge and wrap it with a roll. Send it to a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil. Cook at one hundred and sixty - one hundred and eighty degrees for twenty minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with powdered sugar and slices of fruit.
Here are some dishes containing corn grits. We will definitely provide recipes for its use in future publications.
Once upon a time, corn was called the queen of the fields, and now it can only be called a frequenter of cinemas. Flavored popcorn instead of natural corn porridge is quite suitable for the “on the run” eating habits of many modern people. And yet, not everyone has replaced tasty and healthy food with fast food. Moreover: more and more young housewives are striving to feed their loved ones with fresh dishes from quality products. And corn, or rather corn grits, can become one of the components of a balanced diet. You just need to learn how to properly cook corn grits so that the menu turns out to be varied, tasty and healthy. Want to try? There is nothing easier!
Corn grits: composition, benefits and cooking featuresCorn has been a source of nutrition for humans for 12,000 years, ever since the inhabitants of South America began to cultivate it. For them, it served as the basis for the development of civilization, and for modern gourmets - as a raw material for preparing many different dishes. Corn on the cob is eaten fresh and boiled, baked and preserved, and individual grains, but the most profitable option is the processing of grains into cereals. Depending on the degree and type of processing, corn grits are different:
- Polished corn grits. The grains are deshelled and crushed, and their edges are rounded. Such corn grits differ in particle size, depending on which it is numbered in categories from one to five.
- Large cornmeal. The grains are cleaned and crushed, but not polished. Such particles of various shapes are used to make corn flakes, casseroles and some types of national dishes.
- Small cornmeal. The grains are cleaned, crushed and further crushed to make them suitable for the production of confectionery, instant porridge and other semi-finished products.
However, people with high acidity, and especially gastritis or stomach ulcers, should be carefully prepared and consumed corn grits. But it has a beneficial effect on the intestines, preventing putrefactive processes and stopping fermentation. Corn grits in any form should be included in the diet with weak blood vessels and heart muscle. And it does not cause allergies, so it is part of baby food from the first months of life. Older kids, teenagers and adults can eat corn dishes at least every day, fortunately, their variety is great. Ideas for culinary experiments can be borrowed from national cuisines. For example, Romanians have thick hominy, Italians have nutritious polenta, and Georgians have fragrant gomi porridge. But first, you should learn how to cook classic corn porridge.
Recipes for corn grits
To cook delicious corn grits, you need to choose it correctly. Most often in our stores there are quite small corn grits, the particles of which are of the same size and bright yellow color. It is this cereal that is the most versatile: cereals, casseroles, soups, and baking fillings are good from it. But still, it is better to start acquaintance with corn grits with traditional porridge. Moreover, even she alone has several varieties, the recipes of which are enough for more than one tasty and satisfying dinner. We offer you the most successful, time-tested options:
- Corn porridge on the water. Take 1 cup of corn grits, 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt. Rinse the cereal in cool water. Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan, season with salt and bring to a boil. Put the washed cereal in boiling water and reduce the heat under the pan to below medium. Stir constantly so that the porridge does not burn, and cook for 25 minutes. Then cover with a lid, put out the fire and leave the corn porridge for 10 minutes on the stove. After this time, put the oil and stir it. Serve the porridge hot with cheese 9, especially feta cheese), greens, vegetables - from the indicated amount of ingredients, about 6 portions of porridge are obtained. If you increase the volume of water - the porridge will turn out to be more liquid, for an amateur. In addition, you can replace butter with vegetable oil if you are trying to limit the amount of animal fats in your diet.
- Corn porridge with milk. Take 1 cup of corn grits, 3 cups of milk, a handful of pitted raisins, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and half a teaspoon of salt. Sort and rinse the cereal. Soak raisins in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Pour milk into a saucepan, season with salt and bring to a boil. Then put cereals, sugar into boiling milk, mix and cook over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring regularly. Then put the oil, stir the porridge and tightly close the pan with a lid. Leave for 10 minutes on the stove, then serve. Raisins can be replaced or supplemented with other dried fruits, candied fruits or additives to your taste. Sweet corn porridge can be eaten not only hot, but also cooled down with jam, condensed milk or honey.
- Corn porridge with pumpkin in a slow cooker. Take 1 glass of corn grits, 1 glass of water and milk, 100 grams of pumpkin pulp, 2 tablespoons of butter (can be replaced with vegetable oil), 1 tablespoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt. Sort and rinse the grits, completely drain the muddy water. Cut the pumpkin into small equal cubes. Put the grits and pumpkin in a multicooker bowl, salt, add sugar and pour milk and water. Stir, close the lid and turn on the multicooker for half an hour in the “milk porridge” mode. Then add the butter, mix and put in the “heating” mode for another 10 minutes. Cow's milk in this and other milk corn porridge recipes can be replaced with goat's. Instead of or along with pumpkin, try putting an apple, pear, grated sweet carrot and/or dried fruit into the porridge.
- Corn casserole. Take half a glass of corn grits, half a glass of canned corn, half a liter of milk, 5 chicken eggs, 100 ml of cream, 100 grams of ham and hard cheese, 2 tomatoes, 1 sweet pepper, a pinch of salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg, half a bunch of green onions and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Salt the milk and bring to a boil, put clean cereals and cook until the porridge is cooked, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, separate the whites of two eggs and beat them into foam. In the finished, slightly cooled porridge, put two yolks, canned corn and mix. Then add the beaten egg whites and mix again until smooth. Peel and finely chop the tomatoes and peppers. Cut the ham into small pieces. Mix the remaining three eggs with cream and beat a little, salt, add spices. Grate the cheese and put half in the cream along with the ham and vegetables. Grease a heat-resistant baking dish with oil and place the porridge on the bottom. Put cream with additives on top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cook the casserole on the middle rack for about 40 minutes, then let it cool in the oven. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped onion and cut crosswise into several pieces.
- Polenta with cottage cheese and cheese. Take 1 cup of corn grits, 1 cup of milk, 2 cups of water, 100 grams of cottage cheese and parmesan (it can be replaced with other hard mature cheese), 3 cloves of garlic, a little fresh basil and dill, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sort the cereal and rinse. Boil 2 cups of salted water, put the cereal and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After 7 minutes, add milk to the pan, stir and reduce the heat to low. Cook the corn grits until the porridge is cooked under the lid, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. In the meantime, grate the cheese and add half of it to the finished porridge. Stir until smooth. Grease a glass baking dish with oil, spread the porridge on its bottom in an even layer of about 1 cm, level and leave to cool. The cooled porridge should freeze. Finely chop the greens, crush the garlic with a press, mix with cottage cheese. Put the curd filling on the porridge and cover with the remaining cheese. Bake in the microwave for 5 minutes and leave for another 10 minutes after turning it off.