Grits - the southern version of gröt
April is one of the best months in Florida and many Scandinavian expats get visitors from home. It is always nice to be able to cook a typical southern dish for your northern guests. The real estate agent that helped us to find our wonderful home in the beautiful Tampa Bay countryside in an area called vintage Florida by many, invited us for dinner and served grits. We found it delicious. Grits are stone-ground corn porridge or gröt served plain for breakfast or with added flavours and ingredients as a meal for lunch or dinner.
The word grits comes from the Old English "greot" meaning something ground, and the word groet was probably introduced to the English by Scandinavian vikings that introduced many words connected to living and eating. When I made my first grits I bought Jim Dandy Quick Grits at Publix as they were the only grits I could find at that time. They taste delicious, my family love them. You can add just about anything to the grits to create a meal. If you are a true foodie you will want to cook with real stone ground grits such as for example Carolina Plantations grits.
Here is a recipe with a taste of the south I would recommend to serve for dinner, I got the recipe from www.foodnetwork.com
Spicy Low Country Shrimp and Grits
Grits
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup stone-ground yellow grits
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon pepper sauce
2 ounces grated Cheddar
Shrimp
1 1/2 pounds (21 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound diced andouille sausages
2 teaspoons diced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 small chopped piquillo peppers
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup wine (Spanish rioja)
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, basil)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced scallions
Directions
Grits: Bring milk, salt, pepper, and butter to a boil. Stir in grits, pepper flakes, and pepper sauce over low heat. When consistency is ready, in about 45 to 50 minutes add cheese and stir.
Shrimp: Toss shrimp in Cajun seasoning
and set aside. In a saute pan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the
sausage and render for 3 minutes. Add garlic, stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the shrimp and butter and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cayenne
pepper, piquillo peppers, and pepper flakes. Add half wine (drink what's
leftover), and fresh herbs and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and
pepper, to taste. Plate grits in a shallow bowls with shrimp mixture over
the top. Garnish with scallions and serve.
