Grits & Shrimp Creole

Oct 23 2016

Another inside cook on my new range. I cooked up some stone ground grits and made up the Creole sauce to cook the shrimp in. I had 10 oz. of nice jumbo gulf shrimp to use; just enough for the wife and me.

The sauce was:

1 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

A couple slices of sweet onion chopped

½ green pepper chopped

½ cup celery sliced

2 green onions sliced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Fresh parsley chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce to taste

I was out of Worcestershire so had to skip that. I got my grits on cooking and started the sauce. I started with sautéing the onions, then added the peppers and celery, then the green onions and then the crushed tomatoes. I added in the parsley and seasoning and let it simmer while I finished the grits. I like them thick.

When the grits were done I set them on the warmer burner and cooked the shrimp in the sauce. I did them for 6 minutes turning half way. Tasted good, but missed having bread and butter with them!

The grits were on the warmer until after we ate. When I emptied out the pan they were not stuck to the bottom. I am going to like the warmer for grits if nothing else.

Ingredients

The shrimp

Sauteing the onions

Celery and peppers in

Grits cooking

Green onions added

Tomatoes, seasonings and parsley added

Shrimp are done ready to serve

My supper

Shrimp & Corn over Grits

Aug 02 2016

I love shrimp, grits and fresh corn on the cob; all three together is even better. When I saw this recipe by Dawn Perry on Epicurious I knew it had to be a winner. I adapted it by cutting the water to one cup instead of 1 ½ and 1 cup of grits instead of 3/4 and more butter. I like my grits thick enough to eat with a fork. I also changed the seasoning from oregano and paprika to Cajun seasoning.

I had my tomato cucumber salad for a side and cut my focaccia bread into strips, sprayed with olive oil and toasted under the broiler.

In the photo you see some Palmetto Farms Yellow Cornmeal; I used their stone ground white grits instead. I had white sweet corn from Suter’s picked fresh this morning for the corn.

I got my liquids on boiling for the grits. After 10 minutes the grits were starting to thicken so I stirred the grated corn into the grits and heated the oil for the shrimp. I added the garlic and then the shrimp, then I realized the corn was supposed to go in to brown some. I quickly added the corn and let cook 3 minutes; stirred and let cook another 3 minutes.

I served the grits in a bowl with the shrimp and corn over with a pat of gorgonzola butter and some fresh chives over top. I must say that was delicious!

Click Here for recipe

Ingredients

Grating the corn

The cut kernels

Grits cooking

Garlic, shrimp, corn and seasoning in

Ready to serve

My salad

My supper

Spam Burnt Ends over Grits

Sep 05 2015

A few days ago I satisfied my yen for a fried Spam sandwich and then had to try smoking some at the suggestions of a couple members. This led to the next step of trying some Spam burnt ends and they would be good over grits.

It was hot and muggy; a sittin out back sipping beer kinda day! I had read over Old Dave’s recipe for pork burnt ends for a guide. I figured 3 hours would be plenty for the Spam. I used m1 ½ cans of the original Spam; cut it in half length wise and then in 3 slices and cut them in thirds. This gave 1 inch by 1 ¼ inch chunks. I seasoned them well with some Blues Hog Rub.

I had the Traeger heated to 180 deg. 200 grill level. The Spam went on a frog mat for an hour. I then eased up to 275 deg. grill level for another hour. They looked good at two hours so I added them to a foil pan and added the sauce. For my sauce I used about a third cup of Kah’s BBQ sauce and 3 TBS. of Blues Hog Tennessee Red sauce.

The last hour I stirred them a couple of times and went to 290 deg. grill level for the last half hour. I went inside and got my grits cooking. I had some Palmetto Farms white and yellow mix course ground grits. I had a few jowl bacon bits left I added to the grits.

I served the burnt ends over the grits, a side salad and some bread and butter. I had a couple tablespoons of the Tennessee Red sauce over my Spam and Grits. That tasted pretty good and did not take much preparation.

The Spam

Seasoned

After 1 hour

After 2 hours

Sauced for the last hour

Grits done and bacon added

My salad

My supper

Shrimp, Andouille over Cheesy Grits

Mar 23 2015

I have loved grits and shrimp for a long time; but it was only about 10 years ago I first had Shrimp and Grits. Our kids were living in S.C. just south of Charleston N.C.  They took us to a place called the Flying Biscuit and said you have to try their Shrimp and Cheesy Grits. I did and wished I had known of this dish ages ago!

I have made this a lot of different ways since then; with water, milk, or chicken broth to cook the grits in and with cheese and without, with just shrimp and with shrimp and sausage, it’s all good! I had some Aidelles andouille sausage and a 10 oz. bag of wild caught gulf shrimp and my peasant bread would be good with it.

I followed a recipe I will give a link too but I changed it some. I did a ½ cup of stone ground grits that were half yellow and half white and cooked in chicken broth. It took about a half hour to get cooked down and thick. I added the ¼ cup of cream cheese and about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar. I placed a lid on the pan and in a 200 deg. oven to hold while I cooked the shrimp and sausage.

My wife did not want the sausage so I just sliced up one link to brown for mine. I browned the sausage in a skillet a couple minutes on each side and sautéed the shrimp with Cajun seasoning in a little butter and olive oil for about 5 minutes. I had heated some BBQ sauce for in mine too.

You will note I didn’t spend much time on the presentation of my wife’s bowl! For mine I ladled in some of the grits, a couple Tbs. of the BBQ sauce, topped with the sausage and the shrimp.

That was a good supper, I think I prefer my grits a little less cheesy but the wife thought they were great!  The BBQ sauce was lemony with some heat. 

Click here for link to recipe I followed

The shrimp

The sausage

The Grits

Wife's bowl

My bowl

My supper

Jowl Bacon, Grits, Red Eye Gravy and Eggs

Feb 09 2015

I had saved 3 thick slices of the jowl bacon to fry for a breakfast. I can’t remember the last time I had red eye gravy. It’s usually made after frying ham but thought the jowl bacon would do. I made a small batch of stone ground grits, fried the bacon and made the red eye gravy. I had the eggs frying and made the gravy with some black coffee and a little coca cola.

This was my lunch today, and tasted great. I had saved one piece of the bacon for my wife but it disappeared while I was ridding up the dishes! She went to a movie and will never know!

I had planned to go get a slab of ribs to do tomorrow on my Traeger with the new SS v3 controller. I wanted to do a longer cook with it. It said sunny and 27 deg.; cold but I don’t need to stay out much. I took a second look and it said a chill factor of zero. I chickened out so looks like it will be next week before I get back out on my smoker; supposed to be cold all week.

The grits

Jowl bacon

Red Eye Gravy

My brunch

Grits or Polenta or Mush?

Jan 26 2015

I get hungry for some fried cornmeal mush and when I fix some and post on Let’s Talk BBQ forum someone always asks what mush is. Grits are pretty widely known especially in the south; from the east coast to Texas. If you were born or lived there you know what grits are.

Grits, polenta and mush are made from boiling cornmeal in water in their simplest form. Grits can be made from yellow or white cornmeal, fine ground or coarse stone ground. Polenta; I have only seen it made with yellow cornmeal but can be fine ground or coarse stone ground.

Cornmeal mush I have only seen it made with yellow cornmeal and any grind. It is made from cooking the cornmeal and water down pretty thick then pouring in a loaf pan and let set up in the fridge. It is then sliced a thickness you like and fried in oil, butter or bacon grease. It is usually eaten for breakfast.

Cornmeal mush I think came from the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish. It is mostly known in the mid-west. I grew up having mush a lot for breakfast, usually with bacon and eggs. We always asked Mom to fry it crisp. To get it crisp you have to cut it just ¼ inch thick and takes about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. I like to fry it in bacon grease and then just add salt and pepper; some like it with maple syrup and I do have it that way at times.

I never had grits until I was in Turkey with the USAF. I was on a Turkish AFB with a small detachment of about 70 men. Our cook was from Texas and he fixed grits about every morning and usually he had ham and red eye gravy once a week. Simple red eye gravy is to just pour in some black coffee after frying ham and scraping up all the brown bits. You then have it over the ham and the grits. That is a taste treat.

Polenta is Italian and tastes the same as grits. They didn’t grow corn there until they imported it from the Americas. They use it in many different dishes and for any meal. If you search Italian polenta recipes they will call for a batch of soft polenta or a batch of hard. The hard polenta is made the same way as mush.

I think that grits are still mostly a breakfast item here but you are seeing more different recipes in the past 10 years. Shrimp and grits is a popular one and I have made shrimp and sausage over grits. Lately I have seen some different baked grits recipes too. There are recipes to cook some grits and then pour on a sheet pan and in the fridge to set up. You then slice in squares and fry like I do the mush. I like to use stone ground grits and prefer white if just a breakfast side; I like the yellow if having something over them. Sometimes I will use milk in place of water for creamier grits and like adding cheese too.

This is just my thoughts on the subject and wanted to let all know what cornmeal mush is and whether you have grits or polenta; it’s the same dang thing! 

Pork Spare Rib Ragu over Yellow Grits

Sep 06 2014

Several rain cells went through last night and left it cloudy and cool today. That was a welcome from yesterday’s 92 deg. and 60% humidity.

Thursday I did some St. Louis cut ribs, Memphis dry style, with Tim’s Savor Spices Top Secret seasoning. My butcher did not have any fresh ones so I bought some Tyson ribs at the grocery. My second mistake was cooking them, I did them on my Traeger at temps and times, and wrapping in foil that works for me. The last ones I did were fall off the bone a little too well done.  These were underdone and tough; hardly pull off the bone. No matter how good the rub is I can’t say tough ribs are good. I decided not to even post. I did eat 3 and liked the seasoning.

Having more than half the ribs left I was thinking of how to use it. I have seen a lot of beef short rib Ragu recipes lately so thought I would do some pork Ragu and have it over some yellow stone ground grits.

I and my wife thought it came out good. The Top Secret rub on the ribs was enough to season the Ragu well. With the cool weather it tasted good tonight. It was good enough to me I took the time to write a recipe. If some in your family do not like grits tell them it is polenta and they will probably like it! It would be good over pasta too.

Printable Ragu Recipe

The ribs

Ingredients

Veggies sauteeing

Tomato paste added

Chicken stock added

Fresh tomatoes added

Rib meat added

After a half hour simmering

Cream added ready to serve

The grits

My supper

Italian Sausage over Grits

Mar 19 2014

This is some of my quick and easy cooking in between BBQ. We went to Lima today to get our taxes done and had lunch at 5 Guys; I had a hamburger & fries. Pretty darn good for fast food.

I was not too hungry for supper. I had left over grits, a half pound of Bob Evens Italian sausage and some tomatoes left from last night. I would use up some leftovers and it would be a quick meal. I decided some bread would be good with it. At 3:30 I baked a loaf of Ciabata using my bread in 5 peasant dough. It was done by 5:00 and looked good.

I started supper at 6:00, browned the sausage in a little olive oil and left kind of chunky. When it was getting browned I added some chopped onions and green peppers, salt and pepper. When the onions and peppers were getting soft I added some drained fire roasted tomatoes, oregano and thyme. I put a lid on and turned the heat to low. After about 15 min. I removed the lid to let cook down some. I nuked the grits.

I served it over the grits with some shredded Triple cheddar on top and some bread and butter on the side. I had a Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Dortmunder Gold with mine. For quick and easy leftovers it tasted great.

I told the wife to throw away what was left of the grits, they were getting old. She said I’ll eat those tomorrow. I knew she liked it since she never likes to eat the same thing two days in a row.

Bread

Onions and peppers added to sausage

Tomatoes, oregano and thyme added

My supper