Quick Tomato-Bacon Shrimp and Grits
It’s not necessary to be exact about this recipe, which makes it a good one to remember when time is of the essence. The shrimp and grits deliver flavor as well as texture. The bacon garnish adds crunch, and the whole dish, including the scallions, is pretty enough to serve to company. If you prefer, garnish with chives instead of green onions. From “Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook,” serves 4.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked grits, cooked in shrimp stock
2 tablespoons butter
6 strips bacon, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 pound small shrimp, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts separated
1/4 cup flour
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and sliced into strips
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
Salt
Cayenne pepper or white pepper
Arugula, for garnish
Directions
Stir the hot grits and butter to combine. Sauté bacon until crisp; remove one-third, drain, and set aside as a garnish.
Add shrimp, garlic, and onion whites to the remaining bacon and grease. Sauté until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Sprinkle in flour and stir until incorporated.
Add tomatoes and half-and-half, stirring until incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Add shrimp and season to taste with salt and cayenne or white pepper. Divide the grits into four bowls and spoon shrimp and sauce over them. Garnish with green onion parts, arugula and crumbled bacon, and serve.
Tomato Grits
Who better to trust with a traditionally Southern dish than the Food Network’s doyenne of Southern cooking, Paula Deen. Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup diced green onions
4 ounces processed cheddar cheese, such as Velveeta, cubed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil. Add the salt and slowly add the grits and return to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. While stirring the grits, add the 1/2 cup butter and stir until butter is melted. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Using a skillet, sauté the onions in the remaining tablespoon of butter for 1 minute. Add the processed cheese, garlic powder, 1 1/2 cups cheddar, and onions to grits, and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Pour grits into a greased 8-by-11-by-2-inch casserole and bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Shrimp and Grits
This dish is similar to Lucile’s, but they don’t share their recipes, so this one comes from South Carolina-based Anson Mills, which grows 14 varieties of certified organic heirloom corn on 30 farms from Georgia to Illinois. This is an ethereal dish, forcing many a grits-hater to succumb to their creamy goodness. Be prepared to take a little time. You’ll be richly rewarded. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 pound medium-sized, shell-on shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, small dice
1 small stalk celery, small dice
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
4 cups filtered or spring water
3 full sprigs fresh thyme
1 Turkish bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole, cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 strip lemon peel
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon flour
2 ounces thick smoked bacon or real country ham, minced (3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green onion, white and green part, thinly sliced
4-6 servings hot grits
Directions
Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Dry shrimp between layers of paper towels and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onion, celery and garlic, sauté until shells are crisp and the onion tender, 10 minutes. Add water, thyme, bay, peppercorns, tomato paste and lemon peel. Cover and bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the stock is flavorful and reduced, about 1 hour. Strain stock into a small saucepan (there should be about 1 1/2 cups) and keep hot.
While stock simmers, mash butter and flour into a smooth paste in a small bowl and set aside.
Sauté bacon or ham in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until crisp, 8-10 minutes. Move it to the periphery of the skillet and increase heat to medium. Arrange shrimp in a single layer and sear until pink. Sprinkle shallots over the shrimp, toss and cook until the shrimp is done, about one minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Using tongs, transfer shrimp to a warm plate. Add hot stock to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the reserved butter and flour mixture. Cook until thickened, about 20 seconds. Return the shrimp to the pan and taste sauce for seasoning.
To serve, spoon the hot grits into shallow bowls. Top with shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Grits and Greens
Greens in this recipe are flash-wilted, rather than stewed to death. Tender young greens are essential – baby collards no bigger than a corsage and vivid in hue, have very different cooking properties than the dusty-green mature leaves. The stems of collards, beet greens and Swiss chard, diced small, have enchanting marrowlike properties and should be included. The classic accompaniment to grits and greens is a pork chop, a slab of ham or pork roast. Recipe courtesy of ansonmills.com. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 pound young collards, beet greens, chard, kale or other tender greens
(with spinach use 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Good quality cider or wine vinegar
4-6 servings hot, freshly prepared coarse or quick grits
Directions
Rinse greens well and drain in a colander. Remove and discard the tough part of the stems if using collards, beet greens or chard, then strip the leaves from the remaining stems. Keep leaves whole; dice and reserve the stems. If using kale, strip the leaves and discard the stems; keep the leaves whole. Set aside.
Just before the grits are done, heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven over low heat until butter melts. Add garlic and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to small dish and set it aside.
Increase heat, add reserved collard stems, beet greens or chard, cover the pot and cook slowly until tender, tossing once or twice, about 2 minutes. Add leaves and cook until wilted, tossing frequently with tongs. (For kale, add the leaves to the pot and cook until wilted.) Stir in salt and pepper flakes. Return garlic slices to pot and toss well. Sprinkle with vinegar and serve, topped with hot grits or as a side dish.
Cheese Grits ‘n’ Cajun Catfish
Grits work well with fish, fowl, pork or beef, but especially with seafood or fish. This recipe is adapted from QuakerOats.com, serves 4.
Ingredients
2-4 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 catfish steaks, about 1/2-inch thick
3 cups water
3/4 cup grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Heat oven to 350.
Combine salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, pepper flakes, chile powder and ground cumin and mix well.
Coat catfish on both sides with seasoning mix. On lightly greased baking pan, bake fish 10-12 minutes and turn. Bake 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Slowly stir in grits and reduce heat to medium-low heat. Simmer, covered, for 5-7 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese, mixing until cheese melts. Serve with salad or buttered green beans.
Corny Grits, Shallots and Shrimp
This party all-in-one dish from “Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook,” just about makes a full meal. Only a salad or green vegetable is needed. Fresh corn makes it all the better, but frozen will work too. Everything but the shrimp is combined, but the shrimp are served separately. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
4 cups cooked grits
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups frozen yellow corn kernels, thawed and divided
3/4 cup chopped green onion tops, to taste
1/2 cup water
Hot sauce
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds shrimp, peeled
Directions
Stir cooked grits with a little oil. Heat enough of remaining oil to cover the bottom of a heavy frying pan. Add shallots and sauté until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and 1 1/2 cups corn. Sauté for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Meanwhile, purée remaining corn, green onions and the water in a food processor. Add shallot and corn mixture, purée, then stir all into grits. Season to taste with hot sauce and salt. Heat butter in frying pan, add shrimp and sauté until shrimp turn pink. Mound grits on a platter and surround them with shrimp.
