Chris Berry On The Net

As I mentioned here a few weeks ago, my passion for cooking has recently been reignited. I’ve been digging out some of my favorite recipes, and my plan is to share one with my readers each week. Some of these will be original creations of mine, and some are borrowed from guest instructors who worked for me at Foodies.

Shrimp and Grits is a staple of Cajun cuisine, and there are as many variations on this dish as there are cooks. This is one that I particularly like, and it is based on ideas and recipes borrowed from Jonathan Kenny and Jeff Bland. For Thanksgiving 2007, I hosted a large crowd and served this along with Prime Rib in lieu of the traditional turkey and stuffing.

Ingredients-Shrimp

2 links andouille sausage diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound 26-30 count shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 medium onion finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
1 rib celery finely diced
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup white wine

Ingredients-Grits

1 cup coarse white stone ground grits
2 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions diced
2 ounces cream cheese

Technique

The first step in preparing the grits is to caramelize the onions which will be added at the end. This will take approximately 1 hour, so be sure to start early. Add olive oil and onions to a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally and allow onions to cook very slowly until they become a dark honey color. If they begin to brown too quickly, turn heat down as low as possible. Set aside when finished.

While onions are cooking, add milk and chicken broth to a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in grits very slowly. If you add them too quickly, the entire mixture will bind up like concrete. Add bay leaf and reduce heat to low. Cover pan, stir occasionally, and cook until the mixture thickens and the grits are mostly tender. This should take about 45 minutes. If you use coarse grits, they should still have a slightly crunchy texture when cooked. Remove the bay leaf and stir in cream cheese and caramelized onions.

For the shrimp, add butter or olive oil to a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook sausage until it is just beginning to brown, then add carrots, onions and celery. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the spice mixture and flour and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Add wine and scrape up all of the browned flour and spice mixture from the bottom of the pan, then add the chicken broth and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and allow to cook until thickened to the consistency of a nice gravy, roughly 15 to 20 minutes.

When grits and sauce are both ready, add the uncooked shrimp to the simmering sauce mixture. Shrimp will cook in approximately 3 minutes. When they turn pink and the flesh is no longer translucent, they are done. Do not overcook or they will become rubbery.

To serve, add a large scoop of grits to a shallow bowl and ladle shrimp and sauce mixture over the top.

Steak and Grits Variation

Everything is the same as above, but leave out the shrimp. In its place grill a couple of nice filet mignons medium rare and cut into bite size pieces. Do not add the steak to the sauce mixture since it will continue to cook. Serve the sauce mixture over the grits and top with steak.

Resources

The key to any good recipe is finding the right ingredients. In the case of this dish, there are a couple of items that will make a huge difference. For the sausage, I prefer Aidells Cajun Style Andouille. The single most important ingredient is probably the grits. Do not use instant or quick grits, and be sure to use the coarsest grind you can find. The best I have ever found are from Byrd Mill.

The Cajun seasoning blend is also very important. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different Cajun or blackening seasonings on the market. If you have one that you like, use it. Read the ingredients and stay away from the ones that list salt first. If you don’t want the dish to taste like dirt, stay away from Emeril’s Bayou Blast. You can also make your own blend from Paprika, Chili Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper and dried Thyme.

Byrd Mill Grits

Aidells Cajun Style Andoiulle

Enjoy this, and I will be happy to answer questions in the comments. Hit the print link below if you want to save a copy of this recipe.