Kiss My Grits

I’m sure I’m aging myself, but who doesn’t love the Flo from the ‘70s sitcom Alice? She was the feisty red head who gave Mel the cook fits with her sassy attitude. Since I was maybe 6 or 7 years old, all I really remember from the show was her famous catch phrase..

…Kiss My Grits!

I may have repeated that one a time or two. And probably when I was talking to the dog because if I said that to an adult, that was the same as being cheeky and I wasn’t old enough to get away with that. So yes, Spot caught my grit kissing wrath.

These days, my grit kissing is centered around my new comfort food…cheese grits. Once upon a time, making a shrimp dish was reserved for a nice dinner that I planned and looked forward to…a cooking event.

However, last night I bought the shrimp on sale and threw this together in 15 minutes. And it may have not been the lengthy relaxing cooking endeavor complete with some great music and glass of white in my hand, it still tasted outstanding. (Anything with cheese is outstanding so my expectations are easy to meet…..)

Grits

• 1 Tablespoon of butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water, and additional may be needed to thin grits.
• 1 cup quick cooking grits
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• salt and pepper

Shrimp

• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped  onion
• 2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 2 ounces dry white wine*
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan. Add milk and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; whisk in grits. Reduce heat to lowest setting; cook 5 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Add cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. If they set too firmly when ready to serve with shrimp, add water or milk to thin and reconstitute.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, celery, bell pepper, onions, cajun seasoning; sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp, and cook 5 minutes. Remove shrimp and veggies from skillet.
3. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to low; whisk in remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in lemon juice. Cook 1-2 minutes. Return shrimp and veggies to pan. Stir to mix with butter sauce. Serve over grits. Garnish with green onions if desired.

* If you would rather not use the wine, use broth or lemon juice.