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Portuguese Milho Frito (Kale Kugel with Grits)

by
Joan Nathan
March 19, 2021
Photo: Justin CovingtonPhoto: Justin Covington

Best known today for its wine, the island of Madeira, 625 miles southwest of Portugal, was once a stopover for merchant and slave ships of the “triangular trade,” traveling between Africa, America, and Europe from the 1600s to the 1800s. Many crypto-Jews, called conversos or bnei anusim (the forced ones), lived on Madeira, where they first encountered one of the tastiest items coming from the port of Charleston: corn grits.

Until this New World food arrived, Jews—and most everyone else in Europe—ate gruel or porridge made from chickpeas, beans, barley, rice, or wheat for breakfast, and sometimes dinner. But corn grits changed the menu. (In Italy, these grits were ground a bit rougher, and later became polenta.)

Featured in: True Grits

Ingredients

  • 6garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6to 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2cups good stone-ground cornmeal
  • 3cups julienned Tuscan kale
  • 2sprigs of thyme, finely chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Yield: about 8 to 12 servings

Preparation

  • Step 1

    Sauté garlic and thyme in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat in a medium-size saucepan. After the garlic becomes translucent, add 8 cups of water, cornmeal, salt, and pepper, and another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir a few minutes or until the cornmeal is dissolved in the water.

  • Step 2

    Add the kale. Continue to cook until the mixture, which should still be liquidy, comes to a boil. At that point, turn the flame down and allow mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes while it thickens. Stir occasionally, keeping uncovered. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate to cool down.

  • Step 3

    Using 2 tablespoons of remaining olive oil, grease a 9” x 13” baking pan. Pour the thickened mixture into the pan, and let it continue to firm up in the refrigerator for about an hour.

  • Step 4

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake grits for about 15 minutes to warm up. Raise the oven to 500 degrees and brush on olive oil. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the top is browned.