Rice grits, sometimes called broken rice or middlins, consist of the grains broken during milling. A poor peoples’ food for millennia in Asia, it’s more recent history here in America is interwoven with slavery. Enslaved rice growers from Africa created the lucrative Carolina rice trade, enslaved people pounded the grains to polish them, and enslaved people ate the broken rice deemed unfit for sale.
Rice grits cook up to a creamy consistency similar to grits, and like many of the cast-off foods poor people were forced to subsist on and make delicious, eventually became desirable. Today’s rice grits come from whole grains broken on purpose.
I wanted to add flavor with celeriac, one of my favorite vegetables, and, inspired by a technique from a Seattle restaurant, cooked the grits and root vegetable together in a savory broth.
Mix the rice grits and grated celeriac with the broth and gently bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and keep a pan of hot water nearby. When the grits start to get thick, stir them frequently with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan and adding hot water about ¼ cup at a time when they stick.
Keep cooking and adding water as needed until the rice is soft and creamy, about 25 minutes. Take it off the heat and blend in a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a splash of olive oil. Eat these any time of day, plain, with gravy, or anything saucy.
Join us at the market for an introduction to the wonderful world of Sake with Fulamingo’s Erik Hanson. We’re celebrating the launch of Wellspent Market’s new Sake Program, a collaboration with Fulamingo, and Erik will be on hand pouring tastes and talking about different sake styles, production methods and history.
Run with the Wolfpack and warm up in our famous parking lot! Wy’east Wolfpack will take runners of all abilities on a loop that starts and ends at Wellspent Market, where we’ll refuel you with a host of non-alcoholic beverages from Athletic Brewing and Wildterton along with delicious snacks from local chefs.
Local cast iron kings Finex Cookware are partnering with some of our favorite up-and-coming chefs for a casual cookout and product demo. Luna Contreras (@Chelopdx), Deepak Kaul (@bhunarestaurant) and Han Hwang (@kimjonggrillin) will make the snacks and demystify cast iron cooking, and Wellspent Market will have tasty beverages to wash it all down with.
