Greetings!
This is my first food blogging experience and I thought I’d start things off with a little southern dish. It’s no secret, I love the south. The culture, food, music, the weather…Maybe I’ll get into Texas and move there next year, but until then, I
have to get creative with grits all by myself.
My boyfriend, John and I went to Mississippi over Christmas break and observed a cooking demo on shrimp and grits. The shrimp were from much a much closer source than the Kroger shrimp I used tonight, but the grits were the same. Apparently if you’re looking for an agro-tourist style B&B, then Falls Mill
in Belvidere, TN is for you! They have a museum, lodging, and tours of their mill for stone ground grits and cornmeal. I highly recommend the grits, and my method for making them is based on the recipe on the back.
And so, here’s an approximate recipe….
Grits!
2 cups of water
1 cup of stone ground grits
1/2 pint heavy cream
2-3 tsp butter
1/3 cup cheddar, swiss, jack, goat, or any other tasty cheese (optional)
12-15 shrimp
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Before cooking the grits, soak them for a few minutes in about 2 cups of water to loosen up the hard, untasty, gritty part.
Bring the water, 1/5 tsp. cream, 1 tsp butter to a gentle boil in a medium sauce pan, add the grits and stir continuously for a couple minutes. Then reduce to very low heat and cover for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional tsp of cream as desired as you stir.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tsp butter over medium in a pan, add the garlic. Add the shrimp and stir until they are pink all the way through and slightly brown on the sides.
After the grits are soft, feel free to add more cream, cheese, another tsp of butter, or whatever sounds good to you (basically this is not terribly healthy, but if want an indulgent way to get rid of left over shrimp, it’s a great way. The additional cream is up to you, and you could always use milk. Roasted veggies are great as a substitute for shrimp, too). Serve the grits with shrimp over them, and voila!
PS – I have some pretty sweet pics, but I’m a little confused about how to upload them, so if you have some advice, I’d really appreciate it!
PPS – Any extra cream is great when added to left overs to heat up.
February 12, 2009 at 5:22 pm |
Aww Abby is cooking Southern food! I have yet to make shrimp and grits, so I’ll have to do it sometime.
February 12, 2009 at 5:24 pm |
Dude, southern food is the best! I’m trying your Moroccan chicken recipe as we speak, likely to be my next post.:)
February 12, 2009 at 6:19 pm |
Cheese Grits make me weak. Shrimp and grits do the same thing. I live for southern food.
February 13, 2009 at 4:09 am |
that’s my baby momma!