Shrimp and Grits-A Delicious Recipe

I was a part of my friend Mandy's beautiful wedding last November.  As an appetizer, she had shrimp and grits. Well, I got one bite and was rushed off to have pictures made. The grits were scrumptious. I couldn't wait to get back for my serving.  Unfortunately, everyone else thought they were delicious too. They were all gone by the time we got done with pictures!

Needless to say, I've been craving these shrimp and grits ever since. I've ordered them at restaurants a couple of times and they were just not the delicious ones served at Mandy's wedding.  I've looked and looked at various recipes for them and none sounded just right.  So, I took parts of various recipes, added my own twist, and came up with a fabulous dish.

....and here are my Shrimp and Grits!

Ingredients:

The Creamy Grits:

2 cups of water

1 3/4 cups of chicken broth

3/4 cups 2% milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup grits

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 Teaspoon Hot Sauce

1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

The Shrimp:

1 large Portobella Mushroom Cap, cut up in small pieces

4 small colored peppers (red, yellow, green, orange) or 1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 links of andoullie sausage cut up in small chunks

2-3 green onions, sliced

1 1b. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Salt

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

The Topping:

6 slices of crispy bacon (reserve bacon grease)

Directions:

First, make the bacon.  Remove bacon from pan and dry on a paper towel.  Leave pan with drippings for later.

Then, begin making creamy grits. Put first four ingredients in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil.  Whisk in grits and salt.  Reduce the heat to low.  Let grits cook while preparing the shrimp.

Next, begin making the shrimp. Use the pan with the bacon grease.  You only need about 2 TBSP of grease.  Remove any extra. If you're a little short, no worries. The vegetables will provide additional cooking liquid.  Add the mushrooms to the grease, on medium heat, first. Then add peppers, and sausage. After these have cooked for a few minutes, add the green onions. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the shrimp. Add them to the mixture and sautee them until they are a light pink.  Add the chicken stock and hot sauce. Turn the heat on simmer.

Now it's time to finish the grits.  Add the cheddar and parmesan cheeses, stir well. Stir in the butter and black pepper. Scoop the grits into a bowl.  Add the shrimp mixture on top. Crumble a piece of bacon over the bowl of shrimp and grits.

Voila! You are done.  This is for sure a 30 minute recipe (from start to finish). It will easily serve 6 adults. I hope you find this to be a wonderful addition to your recipes. I know I do.