Cheesy Grits With Poblanos, Mushrooms And Caramelized Onions

Directions

1. Heat oil in a heavy, preferably cast iron, pan. Once hot, add the onions and, keeping the heat medium-high, allow the onions to start to brown. Once showing some color, add the sugar and take the heat down to medium-low to caramelize (stirring occasionally), which should take about 20 minutes. While the onions are caramelizing, look ahead to the grits and start boiling your liquids.
2. Bring the milk, broth and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Once boiling, slowly add the grits while continually whisking to prevent clumping. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cover with an off-set lid (i.e. don't cover completely, let a little air out by setting the lid off-kilter). The grits will want to pop out at you, so the lid is important! Stir every 3-5 minutes for 20-25 minutes or until nice and creamy. While the onions are caramelizing, look ahead to the grits and start boiling your liquids.
3. Back to the veggies! Once the onions are nice and caramelized, bring the heat up to medium-high and add the garlic. Saute for about a minute, then add the poblanos. Saute until the bite is taken out (these are some pretty crisp peppers), about 5 minutes. At this point, add the mushrooms and all seasonings and saute to perfection. Adjust the heat with red pepper flakes as chipotle gets very hot very fast and does not require a lot to get the flavor across.
4. Finally, let's finish off those grits! Once nice and creamy, remove from the heat and add your butter (I recommend cutting it into chunks first so it incorporates more evenly). Once mixed in, add the best part: THE CHEESE. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve the veggies on top of your grits and enjoy!