Shrimp and grits

I've had a lot to say about grits recently since Bo (of bosbowl) sent me two packages of them a month ago. It was with great sadness that I learned via his post this morning that he was in the middle of the terrible tornado devastation this week. Apparently he and his loved ones are ok. It's ironic in a way that I started this post before I knew about this. In any case, Bo, all of your many followers send you best wishes and hopes.

Peter and I collaborated on this dish last night. He tended to the stone-ground grits and I to the shrimp. I cooked the shrimp earlier in the day by poaching them in a flavored broth (3 minutes only). I thought most of the afternoon about what else to do. Then it hit me - we had a small can of plain tomato sauce which I heated up with a large dash of hot sauce and some finely chopped fresh rosemary. When the grits were ready (these were the 30 minute kind) I stirred the cooked shrimp into the sauce off the heat. Along with some roasted broccoli this was a very comforting meal. Again, thank you Bo. Be well.

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!

Bo is Bo-dacious

I wasn't going to post today. I hadn't cooked anything worth talking about. But then Peter, heading out the front door for one of his 4-times daily walks, came right back in with a package. Bo of bo'sbowl carried on a brief conversation with me last week about grits. I had some misconceptions, he had some real knowledge. Well, Bo sent me a bag of rough-ground hominy (I hope that's the right term) and a package of Aunt Jemima Quick Grits. Here's an anomaly: the Quaker website doesn't show her grits. They do show the picture I include above. Bear in mind that Auntie's grits are "quick", not "instant". I am beside myself with excitement. I think tomorrow we will be having breakfast for dinner (something Peter always says about, "You know, it's fun having breakfast for dinner.") It will include ham steak with an offbeat version of redeye gravy, grits, and oven-fried okra. Step back and take a deep breath. Bo, I'm here to tell you I am overwhelmed by your generosity. My blogging friends, if you haven't visited Bo yet, it's time, it's past time. Give that boy a pat on the back for being a real mensch. I don't know what I ever will be able to do to return the favor. So maybe I just need to say thank you, thank you very much (channeling Elvis' voice there).

Redux: Grits with shrimp and chorizo

This is Tuesday. I’ve been adrift lately, and even though I have an idea for an interesting dish, we’ve got too many leftovers in the fridge. Tomorrow is our foodie group’s monthly lunch which means no fancy dishes for supper. Maybe Thursday I can get back in gear, which means nothing to post ‘til Friday. You know what? I’m going to go into my blog archive. There are lots and lots of recipes that no one ever saw (I didn’t have any regular followers in those days). I’m gonna go get one right now and send it your way.

Here goes:

April 2010
We had to drag ourselves kicking and screaming away from the red meat last night. Fortunately we had a 2-lb. bag of shrimp in the freezer that we had gotten at Sunflower at a really great price.A little Mexican chorizo could sub for the Spanish (fully cooked), you’d just need to cook it as the first step before getting to the shrimp.

The ketchup and horseradish garnish is certainly optional – I just got a jones for it at the last minute.

Grits with shrimp and chorizo

1 14 oz. can chicken stock

½ cup water

1 cup medium grind corn meal

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter, divided

1/3 cup frozen peas

2 tbsp finely chopped Spanish chorizo

10 oz. peeled and de-veined shrimp

salt and pepper to taste

2 scallions, white and green parts chopped

¼ cup ketchup

2 tbsp prepared horseradish

In a deep sauce pot (because of potentail splatters) heat the stock to a boil. Whisk in the corn meal and adjust the heat to a lower setting so that the grits bubble, but slowly. Stir frequently. It will take about 20 minutes for the grits to finish cooking. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Near the end, stir in 1 tbsp butter and the peas.When the grits are about 10 minutes along, heat the olive oil and the other tbsp butter in a saute pan. When the butter has melted and the foam subsided, add chorizo and the shrimp. (I should point out here that this timing was based on large, 16-20 per lb., shrimp. Adjust your timing to suit the size of the shrimp.)Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Turn the shrimp when the bottom half has turned opaque. As soon as the second side is opaque, remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate or bowl until ready to serve atop the grits.To serve: put grits in the bottom of heated bowls and top with shrimp, chorizo, scallions, and some mix of ketchup and horseradish, if using.

Turkey milanesa with hominy/bean/grits cakes

Pictured above: 2 pieces turkey milanesa and one bean cake (top of plate).

We bought a 20 lb. turkey at a 60% discount the day after Easter. I broke it down into legs, thighs, breasts (one boneless, one bone-on), wings and back (for stock). Last night I made some of the boneless breast into milanesa. The remainder of that breast will become turkey burgers tonight.

Cheese-Whiz, that’s a lot of turkey. But the t-bird is an excellent source of low-fat protein. And, as it happens, Peter and I love turkey.

I have studied the art of milanesa (or the Italian version, milanese) for a long time. The last two times I’ve made it (pork once, then now the turkey) I really felt like I understood it.

I did one thing different: I sliced the breast across instead of lengthwise – into two 5-6 oz. cutlets ½” thick (before pounding). This is the equivalent of cutting meat across the grain.

Keys to the process:
1) brining – 2 cups water, 2 tbsp kosher salt (1 for regular salt), 1 tsp roughly smashed black peppercorns – 2-3 hours in the fridge is fine.
2) Rinsing very, very well.
3) No added salt after brining – seasoning with some more pepper and some paprika is good.
4) Pounding thin is essential – no more than 1/4”; closer to 1/8” is even better.
5) Allow the coatings to set up in the refrigerator.
6) Getting the oil hot enough – when it’s ready a flick of water into it will pop instantly – not sizzle, pop.
7) Cooking time – absolutely no more than 90 seconds per side.
8) Drain on paper towel and dab the top to remove any excess oil.

Turkey milanesa
2 5-6 oz. turkey cutlets, cut across the grain ½” thick
brining liquid
sweet or smoked paprika to taste
black pepper
all-purpose flour for dredging
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp cream, milk or water
bread crumbs, homemade or panko, but never Italian-flavored ones from a box
2/3 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese (optional)
vegetable oil, enough to coat a large saute pan to 1/8”

Pound the cutlets to 1/8” – ¼” thickness between plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. Season with paprika and/or pepper. Dredge in flour and shake off excess. Dip into egg and coat thoroughly, allowing excess to drain off. Coat with bread crumbs (with or without the cheese in it), pressing the crumbs in.

Place the cutlets on a baking rack over a plate and refrigerate until 30 minutes before cooking.

I cannot emphasize the importance of getting the oil hot enough. You can test it one of two ways: flick a drop of water into it – it should pop instantly; or drop a tiny bit of breadcrumbs into the oil – it should sizzle aggressively in an instant and be brown in a matter of a few seconds.

Here’s the part that’s hard to trust – the cooking time. Cook for 90 seconds on one side, turn and cook as little as one more minute. Last night, because the cutlets were about ¼” thick, I intended to cook them 2 minutes per side. After turning them I let them go only 30 seconds on side 2.

Drain on paper towels, dabbing the tops with another towel to remove any residual oil. Serve at once.

It was time to dispose of some leftovers: a bit of grits from last night, a bit of hominy from the recent posole, and an orphan can of Navy beans in the pantry. I had to consult a couple of recipes from our loose-leaf collection, mostly to see what I should use as a binder.

Grits, hominy and Navy bean cakes
1/3 cup leftover grits or polenta
½ - 14 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz. can Navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 scallions, green and white parts chopped fine
1 tsp hot sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp flour
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
pinch finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup grated pepper jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Put the hominy and beans in a food processor and pulse to a rough chop. Mix in grits, scallions, hot sauce, egg, flour, serrano chile, rosemary, cheese, salt and pepper. Form a little of it into a 1” ball, flatten it and microwave it for 15 seconds. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat. Form the mixture into patties and fry 3-4 minutes per side until hot throughout.

Grits with shrimp and chorizo

We had to drag ourselves kicking and screaming away from the red meat last night. Fortunately we had a 2-lb. bag of shrimp in the freezer that we had gotten at Sunflower at a really great price.

A little Mexican chorizo could sub for the Spanish (fully cooked), you’d just need to cook it as the first step before getting to the shrimp. The ketchup and horseradish garnish is certainly optional – I just got a jones for it at the last minute.

Grits with shrimp and chorizo
1 14 oz. can chicken stock
½ cup water
1 cup medium grind corn meal
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter, divided
1/3 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp finely chopped Spanish chorizo
10 oz. peeled and de-veined shrimp
salt and pepper to taste
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp prepared horseradish

In a deep sauce pot (because of potentail splatters) heat the stock to a boil. Whisk in the corn meal and adjust the heat to a lower setting so that the grits bubble, but slowly. Stir frequently. It will take about 20 minutes for the grits to finish cooking. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Near the end, stir in 1 tbsp butter and the peas.

When the grits are about 10 minutes along, heat the olive oil and the other tbsp butter in a saute pan. When the butter has melted and the foam subsided, add chorizo and the shrimp. (I should point out here that this timing was based on large, 16-20 per lb., shrimp. Adjust your timing to suit the size of the shrimp.)

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Turn the shrimp when the bottom half has turned opaque. As soon as the second side is opaque, remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate or bowl until ready to serve atop the grits.

To serve: put grits in the bottom of heated bowls and top with shrimp, chorizo, scallions, and some mix of ketchup and horseradish, if using.

Shrimp and grits

Back on July 17, I posted an excellent recipe for shrimp and grits with chorizo. The other day I made shrimp and grits without the chorizo. It was so good I'm sharing it again.

Shrimp and grits (serves 2)
10 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup clam broth

1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup medium grind cornmeal

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 scallions, green and white parts cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large clove garlic, minced

lemon juice to taste

chopped parsley to garnish

Keep the shrimp in the fridge until ready to cook.

Add the stock, clam broth and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Whisk in the grits and adjust heat so that the mix simmers gently. Cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes until the corn meal is no longer crunchy. It can remain somewhat al dente.

After the grits have been cooking for 10 minutes, heat the oil and butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the scallions and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, turning once until just barely cooked through, about 4 minutes total.

Stir the shrimp mixture into the grits, mount with 1 or 2 tbsp butter, drizzle with lemon juice, garnish with parsley and serve in heated bowls.