I know what you're thinking...another Jamie Oliver book? Well, blame The Home Edit, his choice of a red binding, and my sense of color organization. In this book, Jamie details his travels across the United States - telling stories and sharing recipes (although, he seems to have left out meeting me). I post-it noted 5 possible recipes - from stuffed pork dumplings (Sher Ping) to BBQ ribs - but it was his shrimp and grits recipe from Georgia that finally caught my eye.
Shrimp and grits should have been easy, right? I've actually never made it before at home, only ever enjoying it at restaurants (and that time my dad made it and my cousin spat it into a napkin, but that's a story for another time!). The challenges that faced me with this dish were of Jamie's and Safeway's making. First, in true Jamie form, he calls for "pork sausages" without specification - what does that mean? Here in the States, we pretty much have Italian sausage and breakfast sausage easily available (unlike the sausage fest loving UK that has a wider variety from cumberland to chippolata). Second, Safeway and its Drive Up and Go stymies even the easiest recipes as I try to limit my in-person store visits to once a week while dealing with (this week was a Costco week). I decided to give the dish Low Country Boil vibes and go with kielbasa, thinking that the shrimp, kielbasa, and paprika butter finish would go well together. Then, Safeway, in its infinite wisdom, substituted polenta for grits...this shaped up to be a coronavirus meal at its finest!
Grits Ingredients:
2 c. medium ground grits, fine cornmeal, or white polenta (I have yellow - oh well)
3 TB butter
1 c. freshly grated cheddar cheese (I used KerryGold Savory Cheddar)
salt and pepper
Bring a quart of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Pour in your grits or cornmeal and cook following package instructions (For polenta, double check the water/polenta ratio on the packaging too - mine was 4:1). Stir constantly to avoid lumps. When grits/polenta are/is done, add the butter and cheese and beat in well. Then, there's this gem: "Have a taste and add some seasoning to the point where it's delicious." [Seriously? What type of seasoning? Mine needed copious salt and pepper] Turn off heat and put the lid on to keep it warm while we move onward.
Shrimp & Sausage Ingredients:
6 good-quality pork sausages (I chose kielbasa, which will change things a bit)
olive oil
3/4 lb raw shrimp, shells off
2 cloves garlic, minced (In my world, 2 cloves in a recipe means I put 5...just FYI)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 TB butter
1 lemon
Handful of Italian parsley, finely chopped
Jamie's: Heat a large frying pan to medium heat. Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and roll the meat into little 3/4 inch balls. Add the meatballs to the pan with a few lugs of olive oil.
Mine: Cube the kielbasa. Add to frying pan with about a TB of olive oil.
Shake the pan frequently. The meatballs (or kielbasa) should be, as Jamie says, "looking gorgeous" after 4-5 minutes. Add your shrimp and garlic and sprinkle over your paprika. Give a good shake and after 2 minutes the shrimp should be done. Add the butter and cook for another minute or two - shake/stir every 10 seconds.
Turn off the heat, squeeze in the juice of your lemon, add your chopped parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir to have everything meld together.
Your grits/polenta might need a splash of boiling water to bring them back to life. Serve the shrimp/sausage over them and drizzle with butter/juices.
Jamie's shrimp and grits was, even with all the substitutions, delicious. The sauce that the lemon, butter, paprika, and cooking juices made was sooooo good over the polenta. The polenta made enough to spread into a baking dish to cool so I can try making air fried polenta fries tomorrow. Next time, I'd crisp the kielbasa up more, but would definitely make again.
Next week we'll do a 180, we'll be taking on Cantonese cooking as only Safeway substitutions can make!
Comentários