Shrimp and Grits

 

Shrimp and Grits
SO Good and Addicting!

This is my first time to fix Shrimp and Grits and I have to say, it turned out pretty good. I'm very pleased. I've looked up at least 50 recipes on Pinterest and YouTube, looking for just the right one & I even have cookbooks with the recipes. I'd been reluctant to make it because the first time I ever had it was in Fairhope, Alabama when my brother took me there. I thought it was to die for! I'm crazy about grits anyway, but this is a totally different experience. Since that restaurant (Locals) in Fairhope doesn't give out their recipe I just had to go by a picture I took and the taste. I'm really excited about how it turned out. The restaurant in Alabama said their Shrimp and Grits is in the style of the "low country" in South Carolina. I've read many recipes that claim to fix their dish in this style but none of them have all the ingredients I used tonight & remember eating at Locals in Fairhope, Alabama. I didn't measure anything, so I'll just list the ingredients I used.

Ingredients and Instructions

Fresh shrimp

Quick grits, cooked in chicken broth & butter. Gouda cheese & cream added at the end. I kept adding that til it tasted the way I wanted it to. Some say they add cream cheese or mascarpone cheese and I'll try that next time.

Andoulille sausage, cut into about ½" squares

In a frying pan I cooked the smoked sausage I'd cut up & bacon I had chopped in small squares, til crisp. I removed both, leaving the grease in the pan to cook the Shrimp on both sides (removed it after a few minutes so it wouldn't get overdone) and then cooked the following ingredients in same pan. I had chopped  them into squares ahead of time:

Green pepper

Red sweet pepper

Sweet Onion

Fresh mushrooms, sliced

Minced garlic

I didn't cook them till they were too tender. (Just softened a little)

After the vegetables were partially cooked I added the cooked shrimp & added some chicken broth and a little cooking sherry. At this point some recipes said to add about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce, and I'll try that next time. Then after about 2 minutes of simmering, I added real cream. Also made a slurry of cornstarch and cold water to thicken the liquid a little. I didn't add salt bc it was too salty from the powdered chicken broth I used, but I did add pepper. I kept tasting it and added more cream. Just add to your taste. Oh and I was going to add Cajun seasoning but I only had Creole seasoning so I added a dash of that. If you like spicy food (like I do), add more Creole or Cajun seasoning or add hot sauce or add some chopped fresh jalapeno. I'll definitely add that next time.

After everything was done, I put some grits in a bowl, added the shrimp, vegetables & creamy sauce. I meant to add a squeeze of fresh lemon, but forgot. Then I sprinkled the top with crispy bacon, little squares of smoked sausage, chopped green onions and chopped fresh parsley. It was delicious and I didn't feel like it was missing anything. I will definitely make it again! Let me know what you think!

Swiss Steak Like My Mama's

 

Old Fashioned Swiss Steak served with Mashed Potatoes and 
Sauteed Green Beans

This is a classic recipe my mama, Margie Mae Horn Perry, fixed for our family when I was growing up. It's a basic recipe, but I noticed most recipes on Pinterest add all kinds of ingredients, which I think would change the taste. The way my mama fixed it and the way I fix it have very few ingredients (steak, onions, flour, canned tomatoes, salt and pepper), but other recipes add carrots, celery, garlic and all kinds of spices like paprika, oregano, Worcestershire, etc. I'm sure it would taste good, but to me that really would change the taste of the Swiss Steak and if i want a beef stew with vegetables, then I'm good with adding other vegetables. Sometimes I do add green pepper with the onions, and I love it that way too. We serve this over mashed potatoes or rice & it's good either way. Then I usually fix green beans to go with this. If I were having company I would add a green salad, rolls and a dessert. Oh, and of course sweet iced tea! This is definitely one of my favorite meals.

Swiss Steak

· 1 large round steak or swiss steak (chuck roast would work too if you slice into pieces). If you can't find a large round steak, buy  2  to make it the size of a big one.

· ½ medium onion, sliced       (about 1 cup)

· 1 cup sliced green pepper    (optional)

· 1 - 14 oz can diced       tomatoes

· 1 can beef broth or beef consommé, optional (if you do not have this you can just use water (and flour) to make the gravy because that's what I have used 99% of the time I've made this and it's delicious because you can still taste the beef flavor. 

· 2-3 tablespoons oil

· 1½ cups flour (I used Bob's Mills All Purpose Gluten Free flour since I'm wheat intolerant)

· Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Set the oven to preheat on 325º.

When I buy the large round or Swiss Steak, I do not cut it into pieces, because this streak turns out really tender, cooking it slow, and the steak falls apart when done because it's so tender.

Pound the steak on both sides with a meat tenderizer. (Hammer-like thing). While the oil is heating on med hi, salt and pepper the steak, then dredge it in flour on both sides. Cook the steak (medium high heat), on both sides to get it brown and crusty.  You don't need to cook it all the way. When its crusty on both sides, place it into a casserole dish that has a lid. I have a medium size blue oval spatterware roaster that I use to cook casseroles in. 

Now slice the onions (and green pepper, if using) and saute them til soft. (A few minutes). With a slotted spoon, place the onions on top of the steak in the baking pan. Save the oil because we're using that to make the gravy. If you don't have at least 3 tbs of oil in the pan, add more. As that's heating, add about 3 tbs of the flour, using a whisk to mix it in the oil smoothing it out. (making a roux like regular gravy). After that's cooked, while stirring, about a minute or 2, slowly add the tomatoes and broth, stirring, with the wisk, so there won't be lumps.

Cook and stir the gravy on medium heat till it thickens a little. You do not want the gravy to be as thick as a finished gravy, but you want it to be a lot less thick, because, believe me, it's going to get much thicker when its cooking in the oven for 2½ hours. So please have the gravy thin, but definitely not as liquid as water. If it seems too thick (since its going to thicken a lot more in the oven), just add water to get the consistency it needs to be. I don't always get it right the first time and have to adjust it. If you like a lot of gravy and it doesn't look like it'll be enough to go over the potatoes or rice, double the gravy part, starting with the amount of oil is in the pan after taking the steak out. I like at least 3 cups of gravy with this (or even more). You do not need to add more tomatoes, just more oil, flour and water or broth. Be sure to salt and pepper the gravy, as you go. Pour the gravy all over the steak and onions.

Bake the steak (covered) at 325º for 1½ hours, check it and then bake it for 1½ - 2 more hours on 200º. (total time about 3 hours).  Cooking it long and at a low temperature is what makes the steak tender.

This would be easier to describe if I could show you in a video of exactly how thick/thin the gravy should be when pouring it over the steak and onions.

I hope you enjoy this. Please let me know if anyone has questions.