Variation of Low Country Shrimp and Grits

I have been thinking about the shrimp that I had in the freezer and how I would prepare them.  It hit me today was the day and it was going to be shrimp and grits with some other low country add-ins like okra, green peppers, and corn.  Luckily, all of those were in the fridge and fresh from the CSA in Lancaster, PA.

I had  ears of lovely fresh corn which got shucked and taken off the cob, a 1 lb box of beautiful okra which I used half of, and a lovely green bell pepper.  To these I added an onion and 3 big cloves of garlic and a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis. 

Ingredients

3/4 - 1 lb large peeled shrimp.  For me, this was 18 shrimp in total

1/2 lb fresh okra, cut into 1/2 inch rounds after cutting off tops and tails

3 ears of corn, shucked and taken from the cob

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced 

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1-2 T Old Bay seasoning, divided

2-3 t smoked paprika, divided

salt and pepper 

1/2 c chicken stock or water

1 T tomato paste

1 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis

1 handful of thin asparagus woody stalks removed and sliced on the bias into 1 inch pieces (optional)

chopped parsley 

1.5 c grits, not instant

5-7 c water or stock or a mix

        How do you know how much water to use?  Start with smallest amount and add more as it 

        cooks depends on the age and dryness of the grits you are using.  For this time, I needed 

        6.5 cups and still wasn't getting the hydration that I wanted.  I turned pot off, lidded it and 

        let it sit for a while 

        so the grits could get hydrated better.  

salt,  go easy if you use stock

2 T butter

handful of grated cheese of some kind I am using Parmesean

Method

1.  Prep shrimp, if not already shelled and deveined, and hold to the side.

2.  Put corn and okra into a large saute pan with some olive oil and butter.  Saute and add 

        1 T Old Bay and 1 t smoked paprika.  Remove from pan into a bowl.

3.  In the now empty saute pan, add more oil if necessary, and add the onions, peppers, and garlic.  Saute until soft and onions are starting to go translucent.  Add in the tomato paste and stir to incorporate.  Add the can of tomatoes and rinse can with the 1/2 c of stock and add to the pan.  

Mix well to incorporate things and let thicken slightly.  Add the rest of the Old Bay and paprika.  

Stir to mix.

Green peppers, onions, garlic, and tomato paste 

Added tomatoes, Old Bay, and broth  

4.  In a separate pot bring 5-7 cups of water/stock to a boil and add 1 t salt.  Using a whisk, slowly whisk in the grits into the liquid.  Switch to a wooden spoon and continue to stir the mixture.  

You may need to lower the temperature to keep from getting splashed with corn lava.  Stir 

frequently to prevent sticking.  Taste for the texture of the grits.  They should be chewy, not 

mushy, nor gritty (despite of the name).  This will take longer than you think.  Southerners 

think Yankees can't cook grits, prove 'em wrong.

Many individual pieces in a thin matrix

Fewer individual pieces in a thicker matrix

    

This is when you add the butter and cheese

This top left is a spoonful of grits that ARE NOT DONE. Notice lots of individual little bits.  

When you taste this, it feels like a mouthul of tiny pebbles.  This means that the grits are not 

hydrated enough and you may need to add more liquid to your pot and/or cook longer.  The 

top right photo is getting there.  There are fewer individual "pebbles" and the matrix is thicker.  

The bottom photo is when you add the butter and cheese.  The matrix is very thick and the 

pebbles are less distinct.

5.  When the grits have reached the desired texture, add the butter and the cheese and stir to 

combine well.  Cover the pot and turn off the heat.

6.  Reheat the saute pan with the vegetables in it and add the shrimp.  When the shrimp curl 

and are turning pink on one side, flip over and add the asparagus, if using.  Continue to cook 

util the shrimp are cooked thru to your desired level of doneness.  

cooked shrimp and parsley garnish

7.  Plate with a ladle of grits and top with the shrimp mixture.  Garnish with a nice handful of chopped parsley.

    This is my bowl full of tonight's dinner.  It started out with            quite a nice spice kick from the Old Bay.  My can was 

    brand spanking new, so it was very fresh on the spice scale.

June 1, 2021 Risotto

We just returned from a relaxing weekend with friends in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  Even though it rained 3 days straight, we managed to have a wonderful time.  We laughed, ate, drank, and slept. Dianne and Phil have 2 new puppies, Nora and Lou, and they are just wonderful bundles of fluff.  St Bernard puppies are adorable, but really HUGE!  We got acquainted with Elle, Claire and Jon's St Bernard and it was a weekend of fluffiness.

The drive back wasn't bad, it was pretty quick, with stops, just under 4 hours, biggest delays were once we hit Staten Island and Brooklyn. Smooth sailing before that!

After communing with our kitties, who were delighted to see us, we returned to the daily grind of life in Brooklyn!  Checking on the garden, watering the plants on the other terrace, removing weeds, planting new things, cleaning up after the cats and discovering more new toys.  Up until now, they have been very content with cardboard toilet rolls, balls of tin foil, and pieces of string.  I bought some catnip infused sticks that they are going ape for.  We have dubbed them, Senor Stick.  To distinguish it from Ropey.

Back to food, I lost myself for a second.  I used a recipe from NYTCooking for Shrimp and Pea Risotto

The recipe called for shrimp stock, and the shrimp I had were shelled, so I couldn't make the stock, but I used a mixture of homemade and boxed chicken stocks that turned out great.

The saffron gave the rice a lovely yellow sun-shine-y hue.

I also used frozen shrimp, so sue me, and it turned out quite nice.  The shrimp went into the pot just as the rice was almost finished cooking and I covered the pan and killed the heat.  Peas went in at the same time on top of the still frozen shrimp.  After 3 minutes, I uncovered the pan and flipped the shrimp over and recovered for another 3 minutes.  It was perfectly done.  The rice was firm, but not crunchy, the shrimp just cooked through and the green peas gave the yellow something to play against.

Dateline: April 29, 2021 Clams, Shrimp, Linguini what could be better?

Fresh Direct came through again with their delivery, cockles!  What to do with them.  I had frozen shrimp in the freezer and the clams, why not some pasta.

 

 

I made a base of pancetta, garlic (lots of it), a shallot, and some grape tomatoes.  After they burst and the sauce was kind of soupy, I added the scrubbed clams until they opened.  I removed them and took the meat out of the shells.  Any clam juice went back into the pan.  I added some white wine and tasted for seasoning.  

The pasta water was set to boil and I added the frozen shrimp into the broth to cook through.  They were still half frozen.  When the pasta was cooked, I dumped it into the sauce along with some of the pasta water and stirred things around to coat each linguini strand with the sauce.

Dinner was served along with a salad!

Dateline: February 10, 2021 Another Lunar New Year Celebration: Ma La Shrimp and Mussels with Black Bean Sauce

 I had ordered from FD some Shrimp and Mussels, and was trying to figure out what to do with them when it hit me.....Gong Hei Fat Choy!

Another Lunar New Year Food Celebration

I used the Ma La Shrimp recipe and another Fuchsia Dunlop recipe for Clams in Black Bean Sauce.

I had the left over lotus root from yesterday, so that went into the Ma La Shrimp!

Fuchsia Dunlop's Clams In Black Bean Sauce

2 lb clams, in the shell....I subbed in mussels

3 T oil

2.5 T fermented black beans, rinsed and drained

2 t finely chopped ginger

1 T finely chopped garlic

1.5 fresh red chillies, cut into thin diagonal slices

3 T finely chopped bell pepper, she specifies green, I used yellow

2 T Shaoxing wine

1 t dark soy sauce

1 t light soy sauce

1 t cornstarch or potato starch dissolved in 2 T cold water

2 T finely chopped scallions

Method

1.  Rinse and debeard mussels, discard any that are open and/or have broken shells.  Pour 2 cups of water into a pot with a lid (that can hold all the mussels) and bring to a boil.

2.  When it comes to a rolling boil, add the mussels and put the lid on.  Every so often, open the lid and stir.  This should only take 3-5 minutes max for all the mussels to open.  Remove them to a separate bowl and save the liquid.

3.  In a wok, heat the oil and when hot add the black beans, ginger, garlic, chillies and bell pepper, stir fry until they smell wonderful.  Pour in 2/3 c of the mussel cooking liquid and bring to a boil.  Skim if necessary, then season with Shaoxing and soy sauces.  

3.  Stir the cornstarch or potato starch slurry and add to wok in 2 or 3 additions, using just enough to given the sauce the consistency of light cream.  Remove from heat, and add in the scallions and mussels.  Serve.

Likewise, I had the carrot ribbons and snow peas from last night as well.  I used a bit more of the mussel cooking liquid and more cornstarch slurry.

I keep trying, but mussels just don't really make me happy, I would have loved this with clams, but sadly, FD did not have any of the lovely little cockles that they often have.  Sigh, so Bill got to eat lots of mussels and I made due with the Ma La Shrimp.....Tee Hee, I think I came out the winner in this one!

Dateline: January 22, 2021 Ma La Shrimp and Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables

 OMG this dinner was superb!  No brag, just fact.  I am in heaven, spice, tingling mouth, crispy veggies and SHRIMP.

Ingredients

2 lb shrimp..... I used frozen

4 scallions, white part cut on the bias, green part cut into 2 inch segments

2 T garlic minced

2 T ginger, minced

3 T Doujiubang chili paste aka Pixian Chili Paste

2 t light soy

1 t dark soy

2 t shaoxing wine, for shrimp marinade

1 t rice wine vinegar

2 oz stock or water

4 T cornstarch or Potato starch 

1 t white pepper

1 t salt

1 t mala powder, ground black and szechwan pepper corns

2 T shaoxing wine or dry sherry, for pan sauce

Peanut or Neutral Oil

Method

1.  Rinse shrimp and devein, if necessary.  Place in a bowl and add white pepper, salt, mala powder, and shoaxing wine.  Mix together and set aside.

2.  Drain shrimp and but into plastic bag.  Add cornstarch or potato starch and mix well.  Each shrimp should be coated with some of the mixture.

3.  Heat enough oil in a wok to shallow fry the shrimp.  Working in batches, fry shrimp until almost done and coating is set.  Place on a sheet pan with a grate to drain off any residual oil.

4.  After frying, drain oil into a dish and wipe wok clean.  Add most of the oil back into the pan, minus any bits of coating floating around in it.  

5.  Reheat wok.  When hot add ginger and garlic.  Stir around for a bit and then add the doujiubang paste and stir fry until ginger and garlic are frying in a red colored oil.  Add in the soy sauces, wine, vinegar, and stock.  Stir to combine and add shrimp back into the pan.  Fry and stir to coat the shrimp well with the sauce.  Sprinkle additional mala powder over the shrimp.  Serve with rice.

Now for the Veggies.  Use whatever is in your fridge.  I had a couple of baby bok choy, some string beans and some brussel sprouts.  I used the microwave to pre cook the sprouts, 2 sessions of 2 minutes each.  That's my micro, yours may differ.

Ingredients

12 oz green beans cut into bite sized pieces

12 oz brussels sprouts, halved and pre-steamed.

3 baby bok choy, cut into quarters,  if necessary, cut quarters in half crosswise

1 T garlic, minced

1 T ginger, minced

3 T Peanut or neutral oil

2 scallions, sliced on the bias for the whites, and greens parts cut into 2 inch pieces

1 t dark soy sauce

1 t light soy sauce

2 T stock or water

1 T cornstarch or potato starch mixed with 1 T cold water

Method

1.  Heat wok and add oil.  When hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add veggies.  Stir fry until the veggies are softened and are fragrant.  

2.  Add soy sauces and stock.  Continue to stir the veggies.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add part of the slurry of starch.  Continue to mix the veggies.  If necessary, add another slurp of the slurry to pull the sauce together and get it to adhere to the veggies.  Serve with rice.

I opened a bottle of bubbly (Cremont) for this, just needed something to celebrate the meal with.  It went surprisingly well!  This was a memorable meal.  The shrimp were tender and spicy.  Begging to be picked up with the hands and fingers getting licked.  The veggies was really good as well.  The string beans were exceptionally sweet!  A nice foil for the spice of the shrimp.

Dateline: December 31, 2020 Let's Kick 2020 to the Curb. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY

Since we are not able to party with friends, I wanted to cook something fun and special.  So we are having picanha steak.  This is a South American cut of steak, the sirloin cap, with fat cap.  

If you have been to a Brazilian steak house, you have seen the skewers of beef that is put on the skewer in the shape of the letter C.  That is picanha.  It has a generous fat cap and well marbled beef.  I bought mine from Grand Western Steak in Florida.  I found this outfit through my favorite sous vide YouTube channel, Sous Vide Everything.  This hosts are 2 South American men and a Cuban.  They are absolutely hilarious and have great tips and directions for learning how to sous vide food and how to finish it.

Back to dinner plans.  I ordered some lumpfish caviar and shrimp for a bit of caviar on idli (instead of blinis), shrimp cocktail, then steak and veggies.  

The sous vide of the steaks will take about an hour +, idli will be done shortly before that and the shrimp cocktail will be ready by then as well.  Maybe bubbly, but not sure yet.  Bill is not a fan, and I must say, I prefer cava.

I made the idli, which are steamed rice cakes.  I really love them, they are Indian breakfast food eaten with soup and curries.  I made a pretty platter and put the jar of caviar in the center.  Another two dishes  had chopped scallions and some sour cream.

This is the batter.  I used a packaged dry mix and added water and sour cream.  I read the instructions and they said to add sour curd.  I know in most Indian recipes when they write curd, they mean yogurt, so I assumed sour curd was not yogurt but sour cream.  

Found out this morning that sour curd is still yogurt!

 

Here we have the steaming little rice cakes.  They are steamed in these special idli trays that you can make out the little black plastic knob which unscrews and the trays separate from each other.  I also decided to add a little bit of scallion to some of the rice cakes.  

 

The steamed rice cakes are resting on some paper toweling to remove any moisture.  You can see the little bubbles on the edges of the cakes.  They are sooooooo tasty.  Light and fluffy little delivery bases for anything you can think of.

TADAH!

Now on to the shrimp cocktail.  I did buy a ring of shrimp from Fresh Direct that came frozen.  I defrosted it and then after tasting the cocktail sauce that came with it.  Decided I could do a lot better in that department.  I had some cocktail sauce in fridge, along with horseradish, ketchup, and lemons.  After tasting and adding, I finished up with a pretty good version.

I re-plated the shrimp, and this was the second course!

 

We washed down everything with this delightful Cremant from Alsace, Ginglinger.  It was really tasty!

We were so full that we never ate the picanha steaks!  Don't they look lovely all crisped up and glistening!  We did finish the salad, though!