Shrimp + Grits

    You know, I don't think I had even had shrimp and grits together until I made it a couple weeks ago. I had a bag of frozen shrimp from a few weeks back that I needed to use up. And I recently fell madly in love with the most unbelievable cheese grits on the breakfast hot bar at Mitchell's Deli down the street from my house (please visit. a great, yummy place.). I never knew what I was missing. For years, the only grits I'd had were the watery, bland ones slopped into a plastic bowl at Waffle House, or the like. Not so appealing. They are shamefully misrepresented. Please let me introduce you to a better version. And, as far as the shrimp goes...well, sauteed in olive oil and butter with onions, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice, and placed lovingly atop a steamy bowl of said cheese grits...it just don't get much better. And for those of you shrimp and grits skeptics out there, well, all I can say is that you're missin' out on some good eats here. (*ps--it's been a while since I whipped these up, so pardon me if I totally botch up the sequence of steps in prepping this...let's hope it works out for ya.)

Shrimp + Cheesy Grits

yields six appetizer servings


ingredients:
the shrimp part:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
nearly 1 pound bay shrimp, shelled (the small, pink kind)
a pinch cayenne pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

the grits part:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk (i used skim)
1 cup water
1 cup quick grits
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan/pecorino romano cheese, grated

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon lemon zest

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon butter

directions:

[Prep all your ingredients beforehand. Start with the grits and work on them in the background (stirring and adding stuff here and there) while cooking the shrimp. Both cook pretty quickly. We begin...]

1. For the grits, heat the cream, milk, and water in large pot over medium heat, stirring fairly frequently. Once bubbling, add the grits, stir, and cover. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring here and there. 

2. When the grits get thick and creamy, add the butter, cheeses, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cover your pot back up and turn heat to simmer, just to keep it warm 'til the shrimp is done.

3. For the shrimp, heat butter and olive oil in heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes or so. Then add the garlic, sauteing for another minute or so. 

4. Add bay leaf. Pour the white wine over the onion/garlic mix and stir until liquid is reduced (a couple minutes).

5. Add your shrimp, making sure not to crowd them (they like their space). Let cook on one side for no more than a couple minutes, meanwhile adding a few dashes of salt and pepper(s), and a squeeze of lemon. Turn the shrimp over and let the other side cook for another minute. 

6. When the shrimp are pink and firm, remove them from heat. They don't take long! Add a bit more salt, pepper, and lemon, to your taste, toss in the parsley, stir it all around, and your job here is done! 

7. Serve the shrimp over the cheesy grits. I squeezed a bit more lemon juice and grated a bit more parmesan on top at the end, just for kicks. ENJOY.