The Ultimate Shrimp and Grits

 

Photo source: Tyler Florence.com

To go to recipe:

Show: Tyler's Ultimate

Episode: Ultimate Shrimp & Grits

Anything from Tyler Florence is good!
He's my favorite chef of all time.

Shrimp and grits is not the easiest meal to put together
. . . but isn't it worth it?

It is the perfect meal for any special occasion.

Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits Casserole

Being a southern girl, grits is one of my favorite foods.  When I'm not hungry for a big meal, I'll make a bowl of grits and be totally satisfied.  You must try them if you have never had them!  They are delicious with fried eggs.

Love the concept of this recipe, but I would make some changes.  Velveeta is not a favorite cheese of mine and I would just use yellow cheddar cheese along with the white cheddar cheese.  I use yellow cheddar cheese (mild or sharp both work for me) in my grits often and they work very well together.  My meat preference would be breakfast sausage instead of bacon.

This recipe and photo comes from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

6 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
3 cups water
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups quick-cooking grits
12 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed (about 2-1/3 cups)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup 2% milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat.

Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.

Add water, stock, garlic powder and pepper to bacon drippings and bring to a boil. 

Slowly stir in grits. 

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered, 5-7 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add cheese and butter; stir until melted. 

Stir in milk. 

Slowly stir in eggs until blended. 

Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish and sprinkle with bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. 

Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted. 

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove casserole from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake grits as directed, increasing time to 50-60 minutes or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.

Yield: 12 servings.

Photo and recipe source

Originally published as Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits in Freezer Meals Bookazine 2013, p17

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Although I have often heard of the pairing of shrimp and grits, it is a dish that I have never had. I've had a craving for shrimp lately, moreso than usual, and the thought of pairing it with grits came to mind for something different, so off I went in search of a recipe that best suited our taste.

This recipe was found on Food Network Magazine . . . check out their website if you have not done so, it is awesome with all types of sections and blogs for whatever you are hungry for.

Speaking of shrimp . . . The Captain and I have a shrimp dish a couple times a week and are always looking for new ways to prepare it. I'll be posting something we came up with this week that was so good . . . we couldn't get enough of it. We made it two nights in a row. No, I didn't take photos . . . I'm bad about that! Another post to come on our new flavor discovery . . . hopefully with some photos.

If you have not discovered the big bags of frozen shrimp at your grocery store, you must check it out. We have found that it is the most cost effective way to buy shrimp, even though we are on the Gulf coast and fresh shrimp is readily available. I love the convenience of the peeled and deveined shrimp. It takes a few minutes to thaw them out in hot water and you are ready to go without the mess of cleaning shrimp. One bag is enough shrimp for three meals for 2.


By the way . . . I never use instant grits!  It takes five minutes to cook grits the old fashioned way and so worth it.  I like convenience foods, but not when it comes to grits, oatmeal and rice.

Here is the recipe for 
Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup instant grits
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

This recipe is courtesy of Food Network Magazine