catfish and grits

Cornmeal mush, if you like. Polenta, if you must. And my milled corn is better than your milled corn because I milled mine myself! That's right, it's popcorn. So it has not been treated with lye, and it's retained its pericarp, its endosperm, its germ, all of its starch, oil, protein and fiber.

It smelled magical too when I milled it and that tells me something ... 'bout something.

I'm going to throw out this bottle of truffle oil. It's gross. That was the worst thing about this. It nearly ruined the whole thing. I kept picking up an unpleasant stale taste/aroma. But then I'm going to go right out there and get another bottle to make up for the loss -- to recompense the sacrifice to great taste, which come to think of it is no sacrifice at all then innit.

Other than that, this could not have been easier. Bacon cooked first and removed to a plate.  The catfish fried in the same pan. The catfish was frozen. Chopped, seasoned, and fried while still frozen. Fried in the fat left over from bacon, enhanced with olive oil and butter, garlic and seasonings.

The cornmeal, for a small amount, in another pot:

1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup corn meal
S/P
1 oz grated Parmigiano or some other cheese added to finish off the heat.

Obviously, double all that for more. Could be enough for 4 people, or two if you're pigs like me. Or six if it's intended for a side dish.

Bring the liquid to a boil and whisk while slowly pouring in the cornmeal so that it does not clump. It tends to thicken dramatically as soon as it boils.

I added Thai curry to both the cornmeal and the catfish before cooking.  That was an impulse.