Shrimp and grits, my way.
Talk about a Southern low-country culinary tradition! But, let me explain a few things to un-boggle
your so-called mind. Lots of people who
have shivered through snow clogged winters, lived through dust storms on the
great plains, and think their football teams can keep up with the teams from
the southeast, have no idea what grits are.
First, some basic American history and meaningless trivia. Native American tribes gifted the early
English settlers with corn, or at least that’s how the story goes.
Stick with me….the word grits comes from the old English
word, grytt, meaning coarse meal.
Now we get to the difference between cornmeal and grits, and
you can stick polenta in there as well.
Grits are corn kernels that have had the husk and germ removed, usually
using lye or another alkaline agent, which turns the kernels into hominy. Looks like a nude kernel of corn that has
never seen the sun. As a matter of fact,
grits are sometimes called hominy-grits.
Now grind the hominy kernels. In the old days, they used a stone mill for
the grinding and you can still find ‘stone ground grits’ today. Voilá!
You got yerself some grits.
Started out as mostly a breakfast food and I still love ‘em with eggs
and sausage.
Flash forward to around 1985 when a New Yawk Times food
writer, Craig Claiborne proclaimed the marvel of the sensational shrimp and
grits he found at a North Carolina restaurant.
He wrote an article, and being from the Mississippi Delta himself, Mr.
Claiborne knew what he was talking about.
A note about Craig Claiborne, who passed away in 2000. If you want to know about the basics of
cooking, don’t go to Julia Child. Pick up any one of Mr. Claiborne’s
books.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/craig_claiborne/index.html
Claiborne’s article turned into a twelve cylinder, culinary
engine that powered grits from the backwoods into the spotlight. Today, you’ll find shrimp and grits
everywhere from north to south and east
to west, from hole-in-the-wall eateries, to the big name restaurants. Along the way, every major chef in the
country has added his two grits worth to the basic recipe. Barbecue.
Red pepper. Garlic. Cheese.
Haven’t seen escargot and grits, but I know it’s coming.
Now, I’m not a purist, but I do like my shrimp and grits to
taste like shrimp and grits. If I wanted
to taste barbecue, I’d go to Texas.
So let’s quit messin’ around and git to it! My recipe is in two parts, as you might
guess. First the grits, then the shrimp.
First the Grits
1 Cup of grits (use the 5 minute variety if that’s all you
can scrape up)
2 Cups of milk
2 Cups of water
salt to taste
coarse ground black pepper to taste
1 Stick of butter (using a half stick at a time)
Put the first four ingredients and a half stick of butter in
a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir well. The
recipe on your box of grits is going to ignore any mention of milk and is going
to tell you to bring the water to a boil first, then add the grits. BUT, I like my grits creamy, especially if
I’m going to layer them with shrimp. The
secret to creamy grits is to bring everything to a boil at the same time. Then, cover and lower the heat to a
simmer. Stir once in awhile until the
grits are done. Your box of grits will
give you a pretty good guess at how long that will take. If the grits become too thick, add a bit more
water or milk and when they’re done, stir in the other half stick of butter.
Now the Shrimp
1 lb of large shrimp (41 to 50 count per pound)
1 ½ Cups of chopped onions (medium chop on all the vegetables)
1 Cup chopped celery
½ Cup chopped bacon
½ Chopped red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons butter for cooking the vegetables
1 to 1 ½ Cups chicken broth
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
Two pinches red pepper flakes (too much will overpower the flavor of the shrimp)
Salt to taste
¼ Cup butter + ¼ Cup flour, mixed into a paste
Low-medium heat. Put
the vegetables, the bacon, and 2 Tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan. Cook until the vegetables are soft, but not brown. Add the spices and shrimp. Stir. As the shrimp turn pink, add a cup of the broth. Stir in the flour-butter mixture and allow
the mixture to thicken. Continue to cook
on a low temperature for another three minutes.
Add the remainder of the broth as needed to keep the sauce from getting
too thick. You’re looking for a creamy
consistency.
Put a helping of grits in individual shallow bowls and ladle
the sauced shrimp on top. Super for
breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Enjoy it with your breakfast coffee and juice, or with a
light, white wine.
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