Sunday, July 6, 2008

Recipe of the Week

I love shrimp. I LOVE those yummy pink curled-up mouthfuls of tasty goodness. Except that one time they were jumping out of the water biting me ShutUpI'mSerious. They do that. I was floating on a raft in front of a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway and suddenly my legs were stinging. I looked down and these tiny, translucent BITEY things were hurling themselves out of the water and on to me and every time one did that it HURT. Baby shrimp. Who knew they were so vicious? So now I retaliate by eating them every chance I get.

This is my famous Shrimp & Grits recipe, which I totally poached from Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, NC. Don't let the long list of ingredients throw you off, it's easy! And fattening. Yum.

SERVES 4

2 cups water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup regular grits (I use quick grits and they do fine)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 slices bacon
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened; add cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients; set aside but keep warm.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet; crumble bacon and set aside.
Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.
Saute mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes, or until tender; add green onions and saute 2 minutes; add shrimp and garlic and saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown; stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and hot sauce and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from skillet.
Divide grits into 4 large, shallow soup bowls; divide shrimp mixture into four servings and place on top of grits; top each serving with crumbled bacon and serve with lemon wedges.

1 comment:

Tigriswillreign said...

Those suckers bite?! You learn somethin' new everyday!