anatomy lessons, a sinkhole, and shrimp and sausage with creamy grits

I’m coming down from a three-day weekend high today. The last couple of weeks have been short work-weeks, due to the holiday a week ago and a teacher workday last Friday. It’s rare for me to take a full day off to spend with the kids on teacher workdays – I’m usually buried several projects deep, and it’s hard to justify not working those days. Last week was different, though. I’m ahead of schedule on several deadlines I’ve set for myself. A couple of projects are moving forward, carried by their own momentum, and I’ve wrapped up a couple of other writing assignments. So, I treated myself – and my kids – to a Mommy Stay Home Day on Friday.

After a lazy morning at home, we had lunch at one of my latest favorite restaurants. Blue Gill is close to my work, and in keeping with my dogma of maintaining a separate work and home life, both mentally and physically, I’ve usually avoided the place on my days off. On Friday, though, my craving for their cucumber and tomato salad with pickled red onions was too powerful to resist.

Surrounded by doctors in light blue scrubs and hospital administrators in dark suits, the kids and I snacked on fried green tomatoes, and they insisted I share the cornbread that accompanied my salad. We discussed our upcoming trip to the circus – an event neither of them seemed terribly excited about, so mostly I spent the time talking up the lions! and clowns! and other fun stuff! – and since Oliver’s fried chicken dish came with a crispy wing and thigh, we reviewed chicken anatomy.

Have I mentioned how much I love talking anatomy with my kids? They love learning names of body parts, whether it’s on a chicken or on themselves. Madeline used the word “wiener” this weekend after noticing a special little part on a male squirrel we happened to see in a photo. I was shocked at the use of slang and promptly corrected her.

The children’s teachers are going to just love me, I just know it.

We finished the day with a nature walk at a local state park. Devil’s Millhopper, described on the Florida State Park’s website as a “bowl shaped cavity 120 feet deep,” is really just a big sinkhole. My parents used to take us there when my brother and I were kids, especially when we had out of town guests. My guess is that, to keep the out-of-towners from getting bored with the flat, monotonous landscape that is north Florida, my parents drove guests around to the handful of unusual places this part of the country is known for. Like sinkholes.

The kids and I trekked down the wooden stairs into the bottom of the Devil’s Millhopper, stopping to look at old limestone rock formations and pretty red leaves and tiny waterfalls along the way. On the way down, that sinkhole only seemed a fraction of the size I recalled it being from my childhood. I was puzzled as to how it could have seemed so huge back then. And then I started climbing up, the kids quickly leaving me behind as they raced to the top. They laughed and yelled down for me to hurry up. I trudged up those wooden stairs, trying to catch my breath, hiding the pain of my burning lungs with a pained smile on my face when I passed other visitors headed downward.

So, okay. It’s a big sinkhole.

The upcoming weeks are going to be a bit more hectic than these last ones have been. I’m headed out of town for the next two weekends, and the work weeks are full, with no holidays left for some time. When life gets crazy, it’s time for comfort food, and the first dish that comes to my mind (besides take-out Chinese, of course) is shrimp and grits.

I’ve been on an eternal quest to find the best recipe for shrimp and grits, and while my mission is still ongoing, I’ve finally got a recipe that comes closest to what I seek.  This other version of shrimp and grits was good, but right now, this is the recipe that I’m going to stick with.

I like my shrimp and grits to have a sauce with some kick to it, plenty of sauce, enough that I can mix it in with the grits or mop it up with some crusty bread after all the shrimp have been devoured. This recipe has the perfect amount of sauce, and the addition of crumbled sausage adds some depth to the flavor. A dash or two of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon gives the piquant dish just what it needs to send you and your guests back for seconds.

Shrimp and Sausage with Creamy Grits

I use sausage for additional flavoring in this recipe. To make it more healthful, replace the pork sausage with chicken sausage. The heat in the recipe can be increased by upping the amount of hot sauce to your liking. Also, if you're pushed for time and still want to enjoy shrimp and grits, just use quick-cooking grits (follow the instructions on the package) in place of the stone ground grits.

Ingredients:

For Grits:
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup white stone ground grits
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For Shrimp:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled & deveined
8 ounces mild Italian sausage, casings removed & chopped or crumbled into pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained & juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon (or more) hot sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:

For Grits:
1. Bring water and milk to a simmer in a 2-3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. In a large bowl, cover grits with water and whisk vigorously. Let stand for 30 seconds, then skim off any bits that have floated to the top with a fine mesh strainer or a spoon. Drain grits well in a fine-meshed strainer and whisk into simmering milk.

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer grits, partially covered, stirring often until grits are tender and thickened (they should be like loose oatmeal) - approximately 45-50 minutes. If the grits become too thick before they are tender & creamy, thin with hot water (1/4 to 1/2 cup).

3. When grits are creamy and tender, stir in cream, butter, and salt. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered, up to 20 minutes.

For Shrimp:
1. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add shrimp and sauté 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp to a large bowl.

2. Add sausage to skillet and sauté until sausage is cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Add white wine to skillet, scrape up any browned bits, and boil until wine has reduced some, about 5 minutes. Add drained diced tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the cooked shrimp and simmer until shrimp are warmed through. Thin sauce with the reserved tomato juice if desired. Add hot sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Spoon grits into shallow bowls and top each with the shrimp and sausage mixture. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.

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8 Responses to “anatomy lessons, a sinkhole, and shrimp and sausage with creamy grits”

  1. 1
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    Brian @ A Thought For Food — January 23, 2012 @ 6:56 pm

    Your bowl of creamy grits looks so warm and comforting. Glad you’ve had some time for yourself.

  2. 2
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    Paula- bell'alimento — January 23, 2012 @ 8:04 pm

    I love a good bowl of shrimp & grits…swoon…

  3. 3
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    Living The Sweet Life — January 23, 2012 @ 8:17 pm

    I’ve never had grits in my life 🙁 … your pictures alone are making it clear, that Im missing out big time!! This looks like comfort in a bowl, perfect for any cold night. I’ll have to make this as soon as possible 🙂

  4. 4
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    Macaroni Mama — January 23, 2012 @ 8:50 pm

    Very nice post. I would love a good bowl of shrimp and grits. . . plus, a good anatomy lesson.

  5. 5
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    Paula — January 23, 2012 @ 11:11 pm

    Glad you had some great down time with the kids before your busy weeks kick in to high gear.

    I’ve never had grits. I don’t even think we can buy stone ground or any kind up here. My husband would love that shrimp!

  6. 6
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    Anamaria Yeung — February 6, 2012 @ 8:00 pm

    Wow MJ – I am blown away by your blog!! I made this shrimp and grits recipe last night for company – it was so delicious! I’m making your bollognaise sauce right now – it’s been on the stove for about 2 hours and is looking so yummy. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Did I mention that I’m blown away?!

  7. 7
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    Chris — February 19, 2012 @ 5:19 pm

    I love your Florida posts, it reminds me of home.

    The shrimp and grits? Yum!

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