I cooked some'en:Shrimp w/Fontina grits

The local high end resturant in town (they use real table cloths! ) makes a version of this recipe. This is certainly a two thumbs up recipe and one I highly recommend if you like this sort of thing and actually pretty easy to do. My wife found the recipe in her Paula Dean rag a couple months ago. The recipe is by Frank Stitt and is called:

FRANK STITT'S SHRIMP AND STONE GROUND FONTINA GRITS
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup minced green onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
1 pound peeled and deveined medium fresh
shrimp
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup butter, softened
stone-ground fontina grits (recipe follows)
Garnish: fresh dill, fresh thyme, chopped
fresh chives, sliced green onion

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add shallot, green onion, and red bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, thyme and chives; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Add shrimp, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp begin to turn pink. Remove pan from heat, and spoon mixture into a large bowl. Cover and keep warm.
Add wine and lemon juice to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced by half. Remove skillet from heat.
Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until butter is melted after each addition. Return shrimp mixture to skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until shrimp are pink and firm.
Divide shrimp mixture evenly among serving bowls. Using a small knife, unmold grits on top of each serving. Garnish with dill, thyme, chives, and green onion, if desired.

makes 4 to 6 servings

Stone-Ground Fontina Grits

5 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup stone-ground yellow grits*
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese

In a medium Dutch oven, bring broth and salt to a boil. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Add cream, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 20 minutes or until grits are very thick. Stir in cheese. Spoon grits mixture evenly into buttered ramekins; let stand 30 minutes or until set.

Ok lets do the raws shall we?:


A few disclaimers. One I used shreeded white American cheese instead of Fontina. At about 6 bucks for a little dinky thing of it verses $1.25 for a small block of the American I went "Buy American"! :laugh: To me the Fantina cheese has a rich buttery flavor and the white American subs quite nicely in dishes that call for it as I have done this several times before. Also it recipe calls for cherry tomatoes. Only a hand full left on the vine and at $4.50 for about 8 of 'em at the store I subed caned fire roasted diced tomatoes instead. This worked ou great and actually next time will add a few more as could have stood a little more juice in the finnal product.
For ya'll Yankies grits are an official food group AND ya' can't make grits in 5 minents! They got to be stired every couple min. for 30-45 min. with a whisk at the minimum the whole time. That and low heat after the initial boil to just keep them simmering. This is almost impossable to do on the Egg as it is kept open most of the time and temps get to high. Don't try. Just bite the bullet and do the grits on the stove.


Some pics thrown in from time to time for your enjoyment I hope.


While someone is tending the grits after adding the cream head to preheated Egg over direct coals with cast iron skillet and add some really butter. Yea this is one low fat heart healthy meal!! :laugh:


I added 3 cloves of chopped garlic to the recipe as it just seamed like the thing to do and added the vegs to cook till very tender.


More pics for your enjoyment.




After vegs were cooked added large 20-25 count shrimp that I had cut in half to the vegs and butter in the skillet and cooked till they just started to curl. Removed everything from skillet and set to the side. Added wine, butter and the juice of 1/2 limon to the skillet and reduced.




Then added shrimp/vegs to the reduced wine in skillet and cooked till shrimp were done and tinder.


Didn't get any much needed rain but it did make for a nice back drop for Fancy last night.


While I was on the Egg Doreen spooned the grits into forms. This is the first time to try this but you can use any thing you want as the pics show. Just lightly butter the inside. Turned out reather nice if I do say so my self.




Garnish with a sprig of tyme and asparagas leaf to finnish it up and a big slice of French bread.




Auron is still growing and learning. We had a bike rally this weekend out of town. Wife drove the cage with him while I rode. All those Harleys racking there pipes and slightly intoxicated people wanting to pet him and he loved every min. of it! :laugh: