Hoppin' John Stew with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

So I had never before heard of Hoppin' John Stew, even though it completely sounds like something I would have at least tried before. But it caught my eye around the holidays as I was flipping through my Southern Living Recipes of 2010 cookbook, and everything in it sounded perfect! We've actually had this twice since the beginning of the year because it made enough to freeze leftovers--and both times Bobby all but licked the bowl clean! And so did I, who am I kidding?

I thought it would be timely to post this because I've found myself struggling with recipes as we transition between the seasons and I thought others may feel that way too. The very cold Winter months are a good time for heavy casseroles, stews, chili, etc. but now that we're thawing out of our deep freeze and creeping ever-so-slowly into Spring temperatures, I find myself wishing for tilapia and summer salads--but we're not quite there yet! So it's difficult to find the happy medium. But I do think this recipe is a good one for the end of Winter because although it's a stew and definitely feels like comfort food, it's not TOO heavy and has just enough of a kick to it!

I'll also say this was my first time making grits...and I didn't do very well! I'm not a grits expert by any means, so it was hard for me to gauge when they were fully cooked, and I made them a little underdone the first time around. The second time I called in Bobby and his South Carolinian heritage to offer grits-cooking wisdom. He had a way of knowing just by the resistance he had stirring them at certain intervals how done they were...and they weren't ready until MUCH after I would have taken them off. So if you are new to grits, I advise you keep them on the stove for a while after you think they're done, just to be sure. We also adjusted the recipe some to be low-sodium friendly, and it was all still delicious.

Hoppin' John Stew

1 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped smoked ham (I picked up sliced low-sodium ham from our deli)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained (I opted for two cans of No Salt Added tomatoes and added a 10oz can of green chiles separately)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (couldn't find any, dried cilantro worked fine, but just do a few shakes of it)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add ham and onion, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, green chiles, corn and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro. Serve immediately over White Cheddar Cheese Grits.

White Cheddar Cheese Grits

2 cups chicken broth (the first time I did one cup broth and 1 cup water; the second time all water and couldn't tell a difference)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded white cheddar cheese

Bring chicken broth and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.