Shrimp & Grits

We've finally been seeing a bit of winter in Northern California.  With all the talk about drought, the rain is a welcome sight.  It also makes me want to hunker down in my pj's, (my girls did this yesterday!) watch movies and eat comfort food.  After a long day of shopping with my father-in-law yesterday, our quarterly trip to Costco, I was soaked and exhausted.  I couldn't think of anything more comforting than a big old bowl of shrimp and grits.

One of the first things you need to know about grits is that I actually didn't use them.  Shrimp with polenta just doesn't have the same ring to it, so I called them grits.  The truth is, I wasn't quite sure what the difference between grits and polenta actually is, so I did a little research to find out.  If you're from the south and have an opinion on this, please don't be offended!  In California we don't eat a lot of grits!  Both polenta and grits are stone ground corn.  The difference lies in the variety of corn used.  Polenta is made from a variety of corn called flint corn, while grits are made from a variety called dent corn.  The difference between the two is that grits often have a mushy consistency when cooked and polenta has more of a bite to it. Please, use whatever you prefer or have on hand.  I had polenta, that that's what I used.

Step 1

Ingredients for polenta:
1 cup of stone ground grits
2 cups of milk
2 cups of water
2 tbs of butter
1/4 cup of heavy cream

Directions:
Bring the milk and water to a boil in a large sauce pan.  Slowly whisk in polenta.  Continue to stir frequently until thick and creamy.  Finish by stirring in butter and heavy cream.

Step 2

Ingredients for rub:

2 lbs of 31-40 count shrimp

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you don't like super spicy reduce to 1/4 tsp, if you like heat you can add more, I found 1/2 tsp to be a good middle range)

Directions:

Mix spiced together in a bowl.  Add shrimp and coat with the rub.

Step 3

Ingredients for Sauce:

Olive oil

1 each of red bell pepper, green bell pepper & yellow bell pepper diced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 onion diced

2 cloves of minced garlic

3 stalks of celery diced

1 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup of dry white wine

2 tbs of butter

flat leaf parsley or chives to garnish

Directions:

In a large saute pan (I love my non-stick caphalon) heat 1 tbs of olive oil on high heat.  Add Shrimp and cook until they just begin to turn pink. Remove from pan and set aside.  

Add another tbs of olive oil to the same pan.  Add vegetables and cook until they begin to soften.  Add wine, Worcestershire and cream and stir until combined.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook and thicken, about 20 minutes.  Add shrimp back to pan and stir in 2 tbs of butter.  Remove from heat and serve over hot polenta or grits immediately. 

It looks like a giant bowl of comfort food, doesn't it?!  Enjoy! (How could you not?!)