Garlic, Grits And Greens Squares

Directions

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a shallow 2-qt baking pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with the bread crumbs. Boil or possibly steam the fresh collards till tender, about 5 min. Or possibly thaw and squeeze excess moisture from the frzn collards. Set aside.
2. 2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the butter and cook the ham over medium-high heat, stirring often till browned, 3 to 5 min. Add in the garlic and collards and cook, stirring often, 2 min more. Set aside.
3. 3. In a heavy 3-qt saucepan, bring the lowfat milk, salt, pepper and cayenne to a boil. Stir in the grits, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring almost constantly till the grits are very thick, 3 to 4 min. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, cheese and cooked ham and vegetables.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the Large eggs, then whisk in about 1 c. of the grits to hot the Large eggs. Blend the egg mix back into the grits in the saucepan.
5. 4. Spoon the grits into the prepared baking pan. Set the pan in a larger pan half-filled with warm water. Bake till hard, puffed and golden brown, 45 to 55 min. Remove the baking pan from the water bath and let stand for at least 10 min before cutting into squares to serve.
6. Leftovers The squares become quite hard as they cold and are good served with minced fresh tomatoes dressed with vinegar and oil.
7. NOTES : For truly vegetarian squares, you could leave out the ham, but then you might add in about 1/3 c. more grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.