Hurray for Shrimp and Grits!

My family LOVES Shrimp and Grits. I love it because I can get it almost completely put together early in the day, or even the day before, and then at the last minute just heat the sauce and add the shrimp and voila–done!

The Shrimp (Serves 8)

1 lb bulk smoked pork sausage (Benton’s Hams in Madisonville, TN)

4 cups chopped onions

2 cups diced green peppers

1 1/2 cup sliced celery

Scant 1/2 cup flour

2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 tbsp tomato paste

Garlic salt to taste

1 lb andouille sausage, diced (Usinger sausage in Milwaukee is a great source–and you can get chicken andouille sausage)

2 lbs of peeled and deveined shrimp

8 green onions thinly sliced for garnish

I buy Benton’s smoked sausage in bulk and cut it into 1 lb chunks, wrap it in plastic, and keep it in a ziploc storage bag in the freezer.

It comes in a muslin sack that they use to hang it in the smoker. Peel the muslin off carefully ensuring that you get any stray strings. You will find that the exterior of the sausage has cooked a little bit, and sometimes it wants to stick to the muslin. Dice the sausage and add to a heavy pan that has been heated to medium. Cook until well browned.

Add the onions to the pan and cover to allow them to steam a little. Remove the lid after about 5 minutes and scrape up the fond from the pan. Add the peppers and celery. (I harvested these peppers last summer and diced them and put them in the freezer to use in recipes. It’s work at the time, but it’s so nice to have that ingredient ready to go into a recipe. I do the same thing with celery because we never get through a whole bunch of celery.)

Cook until the vegetables are softened and the water has been evaporated. Add the flour to the mixture.

Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the chicken broth gradually and stir until quite thick.

Add tomato paste, garlic salt and andouille sausage.

You can see how thick the sauce is. DO NOT THIN THE SAUCE. The water exuded from the shrimp will do that. At this point, you can refrigerate the sauce until it’s time to finish it, or add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are cooked through.

The Grits

6 1/4 cups water

1 3/4 cup quick grits

8 oz mild cheddar, shredded

4 oz cream cheese

Garlic Salt to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add quick grits. Let cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheeses and whisk until thoroughly combined. Season with garlic salt to taste.

This is a great recipe for entertaining and can be reduced or increased depending on the size of the crowd. Enjoy!!