Parmesan Grits

I could either clean the bathroom or blog right now. I'm sure there are other options, but I'm choosing to ignore them. So I'm going to write about grits.
Grits are one of my favorite things about living in the South. Now, as we all learned from My Cousin Vinnie (about 8:30) a self-respecting Southerner never makes instant grits. Well, there must be a lot of self-loathing Southerners around here, because it's difficult to find anything but instant or quick-cooking grits. Fortunately, I was at Dorignac's in the New Orleans suburbs, and they were selling these grits from celebrity chef John Folse. They're the real deal, and they're yummy. Any stone-ground grits would be the same, I imagine.
The recipe I had assigned myself was for parmesan polenta--polenta made with vegetable broth and Parmesan, cooled, sliced, and fried. Well, my husband really despises polenta, so that was out, but he really likes cheese grits. Don't tell him it's just about the same thing! So these Parmesan Grits were born. They were a hit with my husband, my kids, and our dinner guests.

Parmesan Grits

2 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped green garlic, or leeks, or onion...
1 cup stoneground grits
1 cup milk
2 cups water
2 oz. (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan
2 egg whites

Heat the oven to 375 and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Get out a big saucepan and sauté the garlic/allium family veggie in it over medium-high heat until it's soft. Add the grits and stir to coat, then slowly add the milk and water, along with about 1/2 t. salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring from time to time, until the grits are nice and thick. This may take up to 20 minutes--think of all the respect you have for yourself, even if you are a Yankee. Stir in the Parmesan until it melts and set the grits aside to cool. Now beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the grits--don't be too thorough or they'll all just disintegrate. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Serve with grilled steak (like we did) or for brunch, or just with a big spoon.