On a barely-above-zero morning, when the snow is a foot high, one's thoughts turn to comfort breakfast food.

Grits.

Grits, you say? Here in Pittsburgh, where when you say "Birmingham" you mean the historic South Side on the Monongahela River, not a place in Alabama?

Try them; you may start saying "y'all" instead of "yinz."

"Southerners have eaten grits for breakfast for generations," says Susan McEwen McIntosh, author of the new "Glorious Grits: America's Favorite Comfort Food" (Oxmoor House, $22.95). "It was a very humble food, very common. Everyone had grits on their plates for breakfast.

"It was just a simple, easy, comforting hearty way to get started in the morning."

But with that nod to simplicity, Mrs. McIntosh, a child of the South and registered dietitian formerly with Southern Living magazine, is out to up the ante with "Glorious Grits."

"In recent years, Southern chefs -- in restaurants, by the Food Network, in magazines -- have introduced Southern foods to other parts of the country and have shown how Southern food is quite delicious and really a cuisine in itself," she says. "They have really reinvented grits. They have taken that traditionally simple breakfast food and transformed it into recipes that are quite sophisticated and quite wonderful, for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

The recipes in "Glorious Grits" bear that out. From Fried Green Tomato Stack with Fig Sauce to Southwestern Pizza with Cornmeal Crust to Lime-Marinated Shrimp with Bean and Mango Salsa over Grilled Grits Cakes, the recipes in her book tantalize and make you think again about what you're probably not really knowledgeable about: Grits, that product of corn.

"'Grits' is not a beautiful-sounding word," says Mrs. McIntosh, who also authored the first "Cooking Light Cookbook." "'Polenta' is much more sophisticated."

But, strictly speaking, polenta is not grits, and not all grits are alike. If you've had instant grits, put aside that ugly experience and try Mrs. McIntosh's approach, which focuses on organic, stone-ground grits. You'll have one of those night-to-day conversions.

Inspiration for using the organic, stone-ground grits came from her brother, Fred McEwen of Wilsonville, Ala. The family's Coosa Valley Milling Co. hardware store and feed mill served local farmers; her parents' encounter with the stone-ground grits in Tennessee, and Fred McEwen's health concerns, lead to Coosa Valley's development of its stone grist mill and certified-organic products.

McEwen & Sons now sells grits nationwide. And while Mrs. McIntosh's book recounts her brother's tale, she also gives a "Grits Trail Map" of places as close as Virginia where stone-ground grits, cornmeal and polenta can be ordered.

Locally, Right by Nature, the organic supermarket in the Strip District, carries Bob's Red Mill organic, stone-ground grits and organic, gluten-free stone-ground grits, says grocery manager Jason Thomas. "They sell very well. The gluten-free sell better than the regular ones," reflecting the demand for gluten-free products. (Other area stores, including Giant Eagle, carry the Bob's line, but not all carry the grits.)

So what are grits? They're corn, of course. In the stone-ground method, "corn passes between two granite stones that crush and grind the grain slowly, generating a lower temperature than occurs in modern milling," writes Mrs. McIntosh in "Glorious Grits." Roller-milled grits results in a product with a longer shelf life, but vitamins and nutrients are lost.

Specifically, stone-ground, whole-grain grits maintain the high-fiber bran, or hull, "which is rich in antioxidants and B-vitamins," she writes. The germ, just under the hull, also contain B vitamins, protein and healthy fats, and contributes flavor.

The remaining endosperm is carbohydrate-rich but lacks nutrients offered by corn's other components. Factory-milled products generally remove the bran and germ, good for the producer, not so good for the consumer, Mrs. McIntosh writes.

Stone-grounds grits, because they maintain the fibrous components of corn, "are more coarsely textured. They take 20 to 25 minutes to cook" with an "improved texture, heartier in how it feels in the mouth, and retain the flavor of fresh corn," she says.

They also have to be cared for more gently than roller-milled grits. Keep them in the refrigerator.

Polenta, probably better known up North, is made from the smaller grindings of corn and cooks more quickly than grits. Keep the grinding going and you'll get cornmeal, which is flour-like.

Then you can get into color: Blue, white or yellow -- there is a rainbow of grits, cornmeal and polenta.

I dove into my grits with the basic recipe, using stone-ground grits courtesy of McEwen and Sons. I followed the recipe in "Glorious Grits," cooking them slowly, as Mrs. McIntosh recommends. I tried them straight up, then added maple syrup in a "Yankee" version given to her by a Vermontian. I also added a little organic milk.

They were wonderful: in fact, they calmed me from my palate on down, and kept me filled from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.

Now, if someone says to me, "Kiss my grits," using the catch phrase made famous by the '70s TV show, "Alice," I will respond: "Gladly."

I may even add a "y'all."

Old-Fashioned Grits

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To make "Yankee grits," top with maple syrup, suggests Susan McEwen McIntosh in "Glorious Grits." You may also like some organic milk on these. Don't use anything but stone-ground grits. I skipped the pepper.

-- Margi Shrum

• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked stone-ground grits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium, heavy saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in butter and pepper. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

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• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup finely ground or sifted stone-ground white or yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• Honey or maple syrup

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Combine egg, milk, sour cream and oil in a separate bowl; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Pour 1/4 cup batter for each cake onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray. Spread batter to about a 4-inch diameter using back of a spoon. Cook 11/2 to 2 minutes or until edges start looking dry; turn and cook 1 to 2 more minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve cakes warm with honey or maple syrup.

Makes about 1 dozen.

Pork with Mushrooms and Two-Corn Grits

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• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen
• 3 cups water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup uncooked stone-ground grits
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add corn kernels and saute over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Remove corn from pan. Add water and salt and bring to a boil; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until thick, stirring often. Stir in corn, chives, sugar and pepper.

• 1 pound pork tenderloin trimmed and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 8-ounce package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Prepare Two-Corn Grits; keep warm. While grits are cooking, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add half of pork and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from skillet; repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining pork.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat; add mushrooms and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Add broth and next 4 ingredients, stirring to loosen particles from the bottom of skillet. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, stirring until blended. Add cornstarch mixture to skillet and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Return pork to skillet; serve pork mixture over Two-Corn Grits.

Serves 4.

-- All recipes are from "Glorious Grits: America's Favorite Comfort Food" by Susan McEwen McIntosh (Oxmoor House, $22.95)

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