SHRIMP AND CHEESY GRITS

Why didn't anyone tell me that it has been three weeks since my last post?  Perhaps you will be happy to know that I have not been completely derelict in my duties. As a matter of fact, I have been collecting recipes for the past couple of weeks in anticipation of my next culinary adventure. I wanted it to be something a bit more challenging so I purchased all of the ingredients to prepare a Beef Wellington.  (That comes from watching too much of "Hell's Kitchen.") Coincidentally, I have decided to put that on hold for a special occasion. Besides, maybe that will give me enough time to get over the sticker price of that 2 lb. piece of Beef Tenderloin that I purchased.  (By the way, if there is a Whole Foods Market in your area, I highly recommend that you check it out. Mind you, it is a bit on the pricey side but they have every fancy, organic ingredient you could ever need and their meat and produce are top notch.)

As for today's post, I decided to prepare "Shrimp and Cheesy Grits" in honor of my recent trip to Charleston. I was first introduced to Shrimp and Grits about a year ago when I went to a wine and food tasting event in Birmingham called "Corks and Chefs." I hate to admit it but initially, the idea of Shrimp and Grits didn't really appeal to me.  I love hot, buttery grits and I also love shrimp but putting the two together?!?!  It was just too weird for my taste.  I guess that goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.  I'm not quite sure which local eatery prepared the dish for the event that year but it was tantalizing enough that I have actually ordered it a few times for dinner at various restaurants.

I searched high and low for a good Shrimp and Grits recipe and I ran across five different versions with varying degrees of difficulty. Of course, I was more inclined to go with Paula Deen's version but I thought I would give someone else's recipe a try this time.  The recipe that I chose is from the February 2008 edition of Southern Living Magazine.  (Just between you and me, this particular recipe has fewer ingredients than the others that I ran across which leaves less room for error in my opinion.  Perhaps one day when I am feeling more adventurous, I will try one of the more complicated versions.)   

Special Notes: As usual, I cut this recipe in half and I made a couple of substitutions. Rather than bacon, I used smoked sausage and I used precooked shrimp rather than raw shrimp. Also, I added diced red bell peppers and I doubled up on the amount of mushrooms since I love them so much.

Final Thoughts: I liked the fact that the shrimp was dredged in flour because I thought that once I added the liquid components, it would help create a nice sauce but my finished product was not as "juicy" as the Southern Living version. Nevertheless, I am still very impressed with how it turned out.

Ingredients:

2 bacon slices
1 pound unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Cheese Grits

Instructions:
1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

2. Peel shrimp; devein, if desired. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.

3. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings with oil in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Spoon shrimp mixture over hot Cheese Grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

Garnished with diced tomatoes & parsley flakes

The original recipe is from Bill Smith, executive chef at Crook's Corner, the landmark Southern restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Southern Living, FEBRUARY 2008