Shrimp and Grits

This is one of those southern dishes that are unforgettable and absolutely delicious. My love of shrimp and grits started during my stint in the Gulf Coast region in the years just prior to, and after, Hurricane Katrina. For those that don’t know my story, I spent over 2 years in the region doing hurricane relief from 2004-2006, and during this time I was fortunate enough to meet some of the most fabulous people and eat the most satisfying All-American cuisine. New Orleans, Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Mobile, and Pensacola – were all my stomping grounds at some point and these incredible cities offered me the food I seem to relate to the most. Shrimp and grits, fried chicken, black eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, collard greens and banana pudding are just a few of the dishes that still call to me.

In my years of being adventurous in the kitchen, I never attempted to make my own version of shrimp and grits. I was nervous that I could never do it justice and it would ruin my memories of a fabulous dish. For a foodie, this is our worst nightmare. I know that in order to make grits “the right way,” it requires spending 40-50 minutes in front of the stove stirring occasionally – a task that is hard for me to do after a long day’s work. So I never gave this dish a shot until now. I cheat by using quick cooking grits, but they are fabulous because of the butter and cheese that we add in at the last minute. I didn’t follow a recipe so that made this adventure extra fun; and I managed to get my husband in the kitchen to take part in my dinner fun. Southern cooking should never be a labor of one…

I hope that you enjoy my take on this down-home comfort food.

Time from Prep to Eating: 40 minutes

What You Need:
1 large sauté pan
1 medium sauce pan
1 cookie sheet

The Stuff:
½ lb. peeled and deveined raw shrimp
4 slices of hickory smoked bacon, cut into ½ inch strips
2 scallions, chopped
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
¾ cup quick cooking grits
2 garlic cloves, 1 thinly sliced and the other finely diced
2 tomatoes sliced into ¼ inch pieces
Bread – slice the loaf into ½ inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Here’s What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the cookie sheet place the tomato slices in one single layer and top with the garlic slices, drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, sauté the bacon in the pan until crispy (about 4-5 minutes) over medium heat. Take the cooked bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve for later use. Reduce the heat to med-low and add the diced garlic, cooking for about 1 minute and constantly stirring. Add the shrimp and cook for about 4 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add in the scallions, bacon pieces and salt and pepper to taste.

At the same time you’re cooking the bacon and shrimp, cook the grits in the sauce pan following the instructions on the box. At the end of the cooking process add the cheese and butter until melted through, then salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, spoon the grits in a bowl then top with the shrimp, scallions and bacon. For your side dish, top the slices of bread with the roasted tomato and garlic.

Fennel and Apple Salad

One of my favorite restaurants is Jaleo – a Spanish tapas joint with a couple locations in and around Washington, DC. Unlike a lot of other trendy tapas places this one serves more traditional Spanish dishes. This dish is what I look forward to the most; a delicious salad made of apples, fennel, walnuts, manchego cheese, and a wonderfully tart dressing. This salad will get anyone hooked. It’s an interesting combination of ingredients and yet so light and flavorful at the same time.

In another attempt to mimic my favorite restaurant dishes, I created this knock-off version to satisfy my cravings. My version has quite a few ingredient change outs, but tastes absolutely delicious. For all you home chefs out there, this method of mimicking your favorite dishes can be a great way to start cooking -- take something you love and try to recreate it by adding a personal touch here and there. You’d be surprised how good you feel when you’ve created something just as tasty, and even more fulfilled when others compliment your creation.

Time from Prep to Eating: 15 minutes

What You Need:
Salad bowls

The Stuff:
1 fennel, cut into strips
1 granny smith apple
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
½ Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
Pine nuts for garnish
Fennel fronds for garnish
Blue cheese crumbles for garnish
Pepper

Here’s What You Do:
I think one reason folks don’t cook with fennel is because they’re not sure 1) what it tastes like (a mild licorice flavor) or 2) how to prepare it. When eating it raw here’s how to cut it: first with your knife, cut the bottom bulb from the stalks. With the bulb, cut it into quarters lengthwise, trimming off the bottom edge (it’s a little tough) then removing the very inner part of the core (again, it’s a little tough). Then just slice the quarters into thin confetti shapes.

In a separate bowl, juice the lemon and add the vinegar and oil and whisk until well combined. To layer your salad, add the fennel, apple, and green onions. Sprinkle the pine nuts, blue cheese, and pepper to flavor and drizzle the dressing over the salad to the desired taste. I recommend adding a little of the dressing first, taste test to make sure you haven’t overpowered the salad ingredients, then add more dressing if needed.

Potato Soup

This recipe brings me back to when I was a kid, I love this soup. It’s one of my comfort foods. My mom used to make this for us on occasion growing up and I remember being so excited when she would say to us kids “potato soup for dinner.” We all loved it. When I asked my Mom for the recipe for my blog, she told me it originally came from my Aunt Patti. So, I guess you could call this a true family recipe.

I think my favorite part of the soup is the creamy broth. It’s like clam chowder but without the clammy flavor. It’s so creamy and flavorful it will knock your socks off. I was explaining it to some friends the other day and they suggested frying bacon pieces and topping the soup like you would a baked potato; bacon, cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes, etc. I imagine transforming this into a baked potato soup would be absolutely delicious.

This was the first time I made this dish in my own home. My husband tends to not like soups so I’ve been sparing him the torture of trying this one and watching him fake the, “It’s okay I guess.” I know I say this a lot – but he really LOVED this soup. When he took the first bite his eyes lit up and he proclaimed that it’s the only soup he actually likes…he then went back for a big heaping bowl of seconds! I hope you like it too.

Time from Prep to Eating: 1.5 hours


What You Need:
Stock Pot

The Stuff:
6 russet potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes (about 2 1/2 lbs)
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, thinly diced
2 celery ribs, thinly diced
2 small cans of corn, drained
2 (14 oz) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
Dash of cumin
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free half and half
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Here’s What You Do:
Combine the first 11 ingredients (potatoes to cumin) in a stock pot. Boil on med-high for 20 minutes, then reserve 1 cup of the potato, celery, onion and carrots (drained) in a separate bowl to add at the end of the cooking process. Reduce the heat to low.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and half-n-half and pour into the soup. Cover and cook another 40 minutes on low. Stir in the grated cheese until melted and add the reserved vegetables to heat through. Garnish with chives or onions.

Caprese Sandwiches with Roasted Red Pepper

I had a severe pregnancy craving the other day. I just HAD TO HAVE a caprese sandwich and I wouldn’t rest until I had one. It was pretty intense. What I craved was the fresh, crisp, cool, light, and flavorful combination of the veggies, bread and basil. I’m convinced it’s all about the bread and basil when it comes to making a good caprese sandwich. Both have to be good quality in order for these to really rock.

To spice it up a bit I roasted a red pepper and put a couple slices in each sandwich – awesome idea! What’s great about roasted peppers is that they’re not overpowering with flavor, but tend to complement foods such as cheeses and herbs. It was the perfect addition to this pregnancy-craving dinner.

My husband added hard Genoa salami to his sandwich and raved about it. If you’re the type that needs to have protein in each meal, try a little salami or even some prosciutto.

Time from Prep to Eating: 15 minutes


Makes 4 sandwiches.

What You Need:
Grill

The Stuff:
Fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 - ¼ inch rounds
2 tomatoes, sliced into 8 - ¼ inch rounds
8 basil leaves
1 red pepper, roasted and skinned
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
French baked bread, baked that day, cut into 8 - ½ inch slices

Here’s What You Do:
Drizzle oil on the red pepper and place on a grill over medium heat for 8 minutes, flipping once at 4 minutes. Place the grilled pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for five minutes. Once cooled, slice the pepper in half and take out the seed and tops. Turn the halves skin side out and peel off the charred skins and discard. Slice the pepper halves into four, creating a total of 8 pepper slices.

Slice the mozzarella, tomatoes and bread. Layer the following onto the bread: tomato, roasted pepper, basil, mozzarella. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.