The other day I ate at my favorite top of the Rock lunch spot...The Flying Fish...and because I am such a true gritty kind of gal, I tried a new dish called Grits and Gumbo. I had people all over the place demanding to know what this lil' missy had ordered. Felt like I had to stand tall and guard it from a couple of anxious droolers. It was sooooooo good that I immediately started the duplication process at home. Here is my version and take extra caution as you begin to savor this great dish...hover over it with your life until the last tasty true grit morsel is gone!
Southern Fried True Grit Cakes Smothered with Shrimp Gumbo
Serves: 4
Grit Cakes:
1 1/2 cups water
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup quick cooking grits
1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon butter
Flour to dredge
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1. Boil water, add salt, stir in grits, return to boil.
2. Turn down to a simmer and cover to cook for about 15 minutes stirring a couple of times.
3. Stir in the cheese and butter. Mixture should be thick and smooth.
4. Grease an 8inch square pan and pour mixture into the pan, refrigerate overnight or until firm.
5. Cut into 4 squares, dredge in flour, fry in hot oil in an iron skillet until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
Shrimp Gumbo
Serves: 4-6
bacon grease (can use vegetable oil or olive oil)
3 TBS all-purpose flour
1 can stewed diced tomatoes (16 oz)
2 TBS tomato sauce (can use ketchup)
1 small onion chopped fine
1 chopped bell pepper (green or any other color)
1 TBS parsley flakes
1 clove garlic (crushed or chopped very fine)
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ lb shrimp cleaned and shelled (frozen or fresh)
1. In a frying pan with fairly deep sides, heat the bacon grease (or oil) until pretty hot. Then, stir in the flour. Use a fork to mix it in well. Stir and cook until the roux is a pretty light brown color.
2. Add all the other ingredients to the roux except the shrimp. Shrimp cooks fast, so you do not want to add it early because it will get tough if it cooks a long time.
3. Bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the shrimp. Simmer around 10 minutes with frozen shrimp and closer 5 minutes for fresh shrimp. The size will make a difference. You may need to cook a shorter time for small shrimp and likely longer for large shrimp. Just check the shrimp. It should be a pretty orange like color. Taste a shrimp if you’re not sure if it’s done.
5. Place your Southern Fried True Grit Cake in the bottom of a bowl and smother with this wonderful Shrimp Gumbo. And, don't forget the hot sauce!
And, guess where I will be tonight (thanks to a very special friend of mine)...checkin' out the Sneak Preview of the new True Grit movie...Coen Bros style...look for my review tomorrow at On A Quest For...
