Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

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I did not grow up eating grits. The only time I tried them in my "youth" was during college, headed to the Warped Tour at Hampton Colosseum with my friends Jed and Ty and Graham and Dan, Jed insisting we head to Waffle House for breakfast before the show. When in Virginia ...? I remember the menu included variations of grits to include, but certainly not limited to, Covered, Smothered, Buttered, Sputtered, Stuttered, possibly Mothered. I may be making some of those up. Point is, I was incredibly underwhelmed and a little bit grossed out.

It wasn't until years later, watching Michael Chiarello's "You'll Never Live in Napa and Never Be Unawaredly Rich Like Me" cooking show, when I first heard of polenta. He made it look good, elevated, exquisitely delicate and complex. And then he said the words: polenta is basically just Italian grits.

So, I decided to give polenta a try, and I liked it. And then I discovered actually complex, not-covered-in-cheese-and-biscuit-gravy recipes for grits, and I started to expand a bit. I'm still learning to love grits, but I like them a lot thus far, and they tend to be a crowd-pleaser whenever I make up a batch.



Layla has been an incredibly supportive friend to me over the years since I moved to DC; especially when it comes to cooking. She was one of the first to suggest a recipe for the blog, and as soon as we both had a free day off, we made this happen. Things that help when making this recipe: good tunes (Chromeo highly recommended), good beers (and one bad beer for cooking), and a puppy sous chef. The recipe takes a little over an hour, because cooking grits properly involves cooking them slowly. In the end, though enjoyed as a lunch, Layla and I agreed that this recipe could make a great brunch for 4. I forgot my camera for the excursion to Layla's house, but between the two of us and our iPhones, I think we got some decent shots!

Good tunes. Less good beers.

Puppy Paul, "helping."


Ingredients:


  • 1 cup yellow grits (not instant)
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3 Tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup cubed andouille sausage
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 lb medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 cup beer
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 4 large eggs


To Prepare:
  1. In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and slowly stir in the grits. Gently simmer, uncovered, until the grits are softened all the way through - approximately one hour. Add water in 1/4 cupfuls as necessary to keep the grits moist enough. Opinions vary on when the grits are done, but I cooked mine until they were softened almost all the way through (unlike pasta, where you want that bit of al dente in each bite).
  2. When the grits are fully cooked, add your cheese, 1 Tbs of your butter, your jalapeno, and your cream, and stir to incorporate. The grits should now have a sheen to them, and may even have a delicious melty-cheese pull away when you remove the spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste, then cover and set aside to keep warm.
  3. Heat a large skillet to medium heat, and add the sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sausage begins to render its fat into the pan.
  4. Add the garlic and 1 Tbs of butter. Stir until the butter melts, and then add the shrimp.
  5. When the garlic begins to brown, add the beer and chicken stock to the pan.
  6. Simmer until the shrimp are cooked all the way through - you will know they are finished when the shrimp are uniformly white all over. Resist the inclination to overcook the shrimp - they will get rubbery and tasteless the longer you cook them. Once the shrimp are cooked, remove them to a separate bowl, sauce and all.
  7. Add the remaining Tbs of butter to the pan, turning the heat to medium-low. Crack your eggs into a bowl while the butter melt, and then pour all four eggs into the pan. Cook the eggs to your preference - I enjoyed them over easy, with a slight touch of runny yolk to break over top the shrimp and grits.
  8. To serve, simply spoon some grits into the bottom of a bowl, add a spoonful of shrimp in sauce, and then top with an egg.
Et voila!

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