Shrimp Grits With Tomatillo Sauce Recipe 455

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cornmeal (or grits), broth, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Partially cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and very creamy, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. About 30 minutes before the grits are done, preheat broiler to high. Place tomatillos, onion slices and poblanos on a rimmed baking sheet and broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat source, turning once, until the peppers are blistered and the onion is beginning to color, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatillos to a food processor (or blender); puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. When cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and remove stems and seeds. Chop the peppers and onion and add to the pureed tomatillos along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate; crumble. Add shrimp to the pan and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the bacon and cilantro into the tomatillo sauce. Serve sauce and shrimp over the grits. Tomatillos-tart fruits that look like husk-covered green tomatoes-add a savory tang to this charred-tomatillo sauce served with shrimp and grits. Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, "21-25 count" means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as "large" or "extra large," are not standardized, so to get the size you want, order by the count per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as the Marine Stewardship Council. If you can't find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America-it's more likely to be sustainably caught.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chopped chiles and 1/2 of the garlic and cook until the peppers start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the tomatillos begin to break down and release some liquid, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer the tomatillo sauce to your blender, puree, and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, season them with some salt and pepper and the remaining chopped garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatillo sauce and simmer until the shrimp are curled and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the cilantro.

Steps:

• Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt and grind to a paste. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and blend together.
• Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the tomatillos on top, stem side down. Place under the broiler at the highest rack setting and broil two to five minutes, until charred on one side. Turn over and broil on the other side for two to five minutes, until charred on the other side. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender, tipping in any juice that may have accumulated on the baking sheet. Add the chilies, basil, mint and tarragon and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
• Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan and add the shrimp. Cook on one side for one minute, then, using tongs, turn the shrimp over and cook on the other side for one minute. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
• Add the garlic paste to the hot pan and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatillo mixture, stir together, turn the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often, for five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Return the shrimp to the pan, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for about three minutes, until the sauce coats the shrimp and the shrimp is tender but still moist. Taste, adjust salt and serve.

Steps:

• Bring water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk grits into the boiling water, and then whisk in half-and-half. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• Sprinkle shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Add lemon juice, toss to combine, and set aside to marinate.
• Place sausage slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove sausage from the skillet.
• Add bacon to the same skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until evenly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop or crumble when cool enough to handle. Leave bacon drippings in the skillet.
• Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the bacon drippings; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Stir cooked sausage and marinated shrimp into the skillet with the cooked vegetables. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, stirring to create a smooth roux. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is golden brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.
• Pour the roux over the sausage, shrimp, and vegetables. Place the skillet over medium heat, add chicken broth, bacon, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine. Cook until sauce thickens up and shrimp turn opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.
• Just before serving, mix sharp Cheddar cheese into grits until melted and grits are creamy and light yellow. Serve shrimp mixture over cheese grits.