Shrimp and "real" grits

Still camera-less, the photo above is from a recipe I posted nearly tw0 years ago. Nobody read any of my stuff in those days, so I don't feel bad about plagiarizing myself. Bo (http://bos-bowl.com/) sent me real grits last week. I was in the camp of idiots who think that grits and polenta are essentially the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth (unless you're Sarah Palin pontificating on something she knows nothing about, which pretty much covers every topic in the universe). I'm sorry. This is supposed to be about food, not politics. Well, too late now, this cat's out of the bag.

So anyhow - I went in well-armed and determined. I cooked some of the rough-ground hominy grits Bo sent me. What a revelation! A texture I haven't experienced in decades (since on concert tours throughout the south in the 60's and 70's). Do yourself a favor and go to Wikipedia for a tutorial on hominy. I won't presume to impart much knowledge about it here. I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. Leave facts to those who know what they are (not you Sarah).

Peter did the quick grits for lunch today and I did the more ambitious stone ground ones for dinner. They are both good, but the stone ground are creamier, gentler, every -er you can think of.

Shrimp and grits

Cook 1 cup hominy grits according to package directions.

Cook 12 oz. shrimp in whatever fashion you like (I prefer poaching for 3 minutes, or sauteing for about 4 minutes). In this case, however, I sauteed 1/4 of an onion and then the shrimp, generously dousing them in cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Garnish them with a generous amount of chopped cilantro. On top of the grits, they were worth committing adultery for.

Spoon the grits out into a hot bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drop in a generous dollop of butter. Top with shrimp and just try to speak without a southern accent!