Shrimp & Grits

I was born and raised in central California where barbecue is spelled BBQ and means anything cooked outside on a gas or charcoal grill; where seafood means fish from the ocean; and where there are restaurants that serve nothing but soup and salad.

But, I have lived in the south since 1993. I've tasted a lot of southern cooking, from barbecue to crawfish to fried catfish, and refused to taste some, boiled chitterlings ("chitlins" for the uninitiated) being one of those. I have never been able to convince myself that anything that looks like this in it's raw state...

...could taste good if it looks like this in it's cooked state...



But this post is not about chitlins. It's about shrimp and grits. Even after sixteen years residence in the Natural State, I had never had shrimp and grits.

A couple of weeks ago, my son, Mike, posted an entry on his Myspace that said he was going to make Tyler Florence's Shrimp and Grits. Now, since Mike has an almost neurotic aversion to anything remotely southern, I knew this dish had to be phenomenal for him to make it. Shrimp and Grits must be awesome if Mikey likes it.

And, wouldn't you know it, after I saw Mike's entry, there was a Shrimp and Grits challenge on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I printed all three recipes: Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay and BF's challenger, Joe Barnett. In the end, I chose Joe Barnett's recipe because I just liked all the components and I wasn't disappointed. This was one of the best dishes I've ever made....really!!



I followed the recipe almost exactly, except for these few things:

• No Wild Georgia Shrimp where I live. I used Thai shrimp instead.


• The grits recipe calls for a tablespoon of tomato paste. I left that out.


• I had some leftover spiral cut ham in the freezer and used that instead of the sugar-cured country ham.

Shrimp and Grits
by Joe Barnett via the Foodnetwork.com

Shrimp
1-1/2 pounds (26-30 count) Wild Georgia Shrimp
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (recommend Tone's Louisiana Cajun seasoning)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper

Grits
2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (recommend Knorr)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup quick grits (recommend Quaker)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3-1/2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Sauce
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (recommend Texas Pete)
1 slice sugar-cured country ham

First, peel and devein the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the shrimp to coat well and set the shrimp aside.

Next, make your grits. In a medium saucepan, bring water, chicken bouillon cubes and 2 tablespoons butter to a boil. Slowly add the grits, whisking often with wire whisk for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, cream, and cheese. Keep whisking for another 2 or 3 minutes until the grits become creamy. Don't skimp on the butter and the cream, folks.

Now saute the shrimp. In a large saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the spice-coated shrimp, and cook only until they're just done and tender. Don't overcook. Remove the shrimp from the saute pan and set them aside in a bowl. You can taste 1 or 2, to see if they're okay.


The roux is next. With all those wonderful drippings from the shrimp in the saute pan, add 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and stir with a wooden spatula to make a roux. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until roux reaches a medium-tan color, then slowly add the chicken stock and heavy whipping cream. Whisk together and cook for 2 minutes, then whisk in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Set aside.

And last, a little country ham. Cook 1 center slice of cured country ham in a saute pan, and cut into cubes.



To serve, and this is the best part...place a few heaping spoonfuls of steaming cheese grits onto a plate...



...top with several sizzling shrimp...



...Drizzle that wonderful roux sauce over top of the shrimp, and sprinkle on a few cubes of country ham...



Enjoy.

After dinner, Tom packed up all the leftovers carefully in separate containers and the following night we had leftovers for dinner. Tom had Ceviche and chips. My sister, Karen, had tacos from two night before and I had the leftover Shrimp and Grits. I opted for warming the grits in a pan and mixing the shrimp, ham and roux gravy together in another small frying pan. It was just as good, although not as pretty...



Mmmmmm. I can't wait to make this again!

It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time...

I was so excited to try these. They sounded delicious. It's Nigella Lawson's recipe. How could I go wrong?



What's wrong with this picture? Nothing is wrong with the picture. Don't they look wonderful? In my opinion, it's the recipe. I made Nigella's recipe for Baklava Muffins from a recipe I got here. I won't bother to post the whole recipe. Why? Let me count the reasons:

• Half of the muffin stuck to paper muffin cup. It made a horrible mess when I was eating it and who wants to scrape a tough muffin skin off the paper muffin cup using your teeth? Not me.


• Did I mention they were tough? Not like cake or a muffin at all. Dense and almost flavorless.


• The cinnamon-sugar mixture in the middle of the muffin didn't melt even a little like I thought it would. The mixture stayed crumbly and, therefore, dropped out all over the place while I was eating it.


• "Drizzling" with honey does NOT make the muffin taste like baklava.

And, I really, really wanted these to be good!

If anyone has made these and had a different experience, please leave a comment and tell me what you did right and I did wrong!

Beef Marsala Stew

I've been sick for almost two weeks. I've had that horrible crud that has been going around and finally broke down last Monday and paid a visit to my doctor. She prescribed meds and bed rest and by yesterday afternoon I was finally feeling human again.

Since I hadn't eaten much of anything for over a week and a half, by mid-week this week I was looking for something that would stick to my ribs and with lots of flavor. God bless Mike Mulligan at Mike's Table. He came through like a champ and didn't even know it.

As I was sitting in front of the computer, wading through 127 entries in my Google reader, I came across an entry from Mike, Beef Short Ribs Marsala Pasta. I wasn't in the mood for pasta, but beef cooked in Marsala wine over mashed potatoes...Mmmmmm!! Oooo, I was hungry!

I had a brand new bottle of Marsala in the pantry, plenty of potatoes and a package of four very large boneless beef short ribs in the freezer and I got started.

This dish was a hit and made enough beef in that wonderful savory, rich gravy for dinner for the three of us, plus Tom vacuumed bagged enough for another meal. Next time, I'll try it over the pasta as Mike originally suggested.



Beef Marsala Stew
Adapted from Beef Short Ribs Marsala Pasta at Mike's Table

This recipe contains my changes to Mike's recipe.

3 strips bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 5 pounds boneless beef (I used boneless beef short ribs, but I think this would be good with almost any cut of beef)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups Marsala wine
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed from stems
handful of chopped parsley
2 cups beef stock
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (they're called Baby Bellas here)
Mashed potatoes

Cut the boneless beef into approximately 1-inch cubes. Put the cubed beef into a gallon size plastic bag. Add the flour, kosher salt and pepper to the bag. Seal the bag and shake well to coat all of the pieces of meat. Set aside

In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crispy and remove from the pan to a paper towel. Add the olive oil to the bacon drippings, then add the pieces of meat a few at a time, browning each piece for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and add more beef pieces until all pieces are browned. Set aside.

Saute the celery, carrot and onion in the pan until the onion is translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute more.

Deglaze the pot with the 3 cups of wine, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom. Allow the wine to come to a boil. Add the beef stock, mushrooms and the herbs, mix well, then return the beef and the cooked bacon to the pan. Bring to a boil again, cover, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook for about three hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.

After three hours, the beef should be fork tender and the sauce should be thickened nicely. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm while you make your mashed potatoes.

Are You Up For Another Contest ?

Marx Foods is giving away morels!

The last contest I entered at Marx Foods, I didn't win :( and I really wanted these babies...


It is the Ritrovo Artisan Salt Collection. I didn't win them, so I bought them! They are wonderful!

Now, they have a new contest and they are giving away 2 pounds of morels. Can you even imagine what you can do with those? Sauteed in a little butter with a little salt and some fresh ground pepper and finish them off with a little sprinkle of Truffle & Salt from my salt collection, or a little white truffle oil. Pile on a little toasted crostini. Mmmmmm.

All you have to do is leave a comment. I've already left my comment, so I'm probably going to win. But, just in case I don't, why don't you give it try?

You can enter here:



Good Luck!! (and, no, they are not paying me to advertise - I just really love their products).

It's Spring and I Can Prove It...

There may be snow on the ground where you live, or night-time temperatures continue to drop below freezing, or day-time temperatures are still hovering around freezing or below, but.... here in Arkansas it really is almost Spring and I can prove it...



My chives are coming up strong! Hooray!

Linguini with Chorizo and Clams

Okay, it has shrimp and calamari, too. It's Tom's fault. He just can't help himself when it comes to seafood. He loves it. If it has clams...well, hey, just throw in a couple of mussels, too. Oh, and by the way, I just happen to have a couple of shrimp on hand and a calamari. How about if we throw those in. And on and on. But, I'm not complaining.

Tom found the recipe for this particular dish in an old edition of Southern Living Magazine that he was reading in the waiting room of the dentist's office. Now, you would think that Southern Living would not necessarily be the magazine of choice for your common male reader. But, Tom is not your common kind of guy. He doesn't hunt deer, turkey, or any other animal. He hunts recipes. He's always looking for new recipes and he actually has a much more adventurous palate than I do. And he cooks. A lot. In fact, he cooks nearly as much as I do. I have even considered renaming this blog "Terri and Tom's Table," but he wouldn't hear of it. So, it's merely "Terri's Table", but you will note that I do give full credit where credit is due. And this dish was his baby, and the combination of flavors was, in short, amazing. Sort of like paella pasta.

Tom clearly modified the recipe considerably, adding wine, shrimp and calamari, so following is Tom's adaptation of the original recipe. I'm sorry I can't provide a link to the original recipe. Tom actually wrote out the recipe copied from the magazine.



Linquine with Chorizo and Clams
by Tom Powers adapted from Southern Living Magazine

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 cup onion, medium dice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine
1/2 of a tube of Mexican chorizo
1/2 pound calamari, cut in bite size pieces
1/2 pound clams in their shells (approximately 12 to 15)
1/2 pound shrimp, deveined and shells removed
1 pound linguine
1/4 parsley, chopped

Cook the linguine in salted water per package directions, drain, pour into large pasta serving bowl, set aside, but keep it warm. The sauce will cook quickly.

Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onions to the olive oil and saute until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and toss quickly to heat, but do not brown.

Add the chorizo and cook until the chorizo is just cooked through, breaking the meat up as it cooks.

To the chorizo mixture, add the white wine and simmer about 5 minutes.

Now add the clams and cook until they just open, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the opened clams from the pan and set aside. Discard any clams that did not open.

Add the shrimp to the chorizo mixture in the pan and cook about 3 minutes.

Add the calamari and cook about 2 minutes more.

Add the clams back into the sauce. Mix well. Immediately pour the sauce over the linguine and serve.