O.T... Good Eatin'

[slimster]

The Southern Gentlemen on this board should appreciate this. For those unfortunate enough to be unfamiliar with southern cuisine, we might not be much for fancy names for our dishes, but dey's sho 'nuff good vittles! Shrimp and Grits 1 1/2 cups regular grits, uncooked; 6 cups water; 1 stick unsalted butter; Bring water and salt to a roiling boil. Slowly stir in the grits, then reduce heat and simmer slowly, 40-45 minutes. While grits are cooking, in a large cast iron or other heavy skillet, fry 4 strips of bacon. Lay bacon on paper towels to drain. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the drippin's. You will need:

1/2 to 3/4 lb. peeled, raw shrimp, coarsely chopped;
4 tablespoons minced onion;
1 cup water;
2 tablespoons flour;
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce;
2 tablespoons ketchup;
salt and pepper to taste:

Add the onion to the hot drippin's and cook until tender. Add the shrimp and cook 3 minutes stirring several times.Add the water and simmer for 3 more minutes. Stir in the flour, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Simmer slowly until the sauce thickens. When the grits are done, stir into the shrimp mixture and simmer a couple more minutes to blend flavors. Stir in crumbled bacon. Whoeeee, this stuff will make you willin' ta slap yo' mama fer sum mo!

[gamekeeper]

I'd love to try a helpin' of that!

[slimster]

Oops, forgot to say to crumble the bacon into the mix. I need to go back in and edit for punctuation...when I typed it up, I had all the ingredients lined up from top to bottom, but when I posted it, they were all run together.

[Bogie35]

I will try this! I love shrimp and grits, but I've never made it so fancy!

bogie

[Doc Hudson]

Duely stolen for the cookbook!

Thanks Slimster!

[Rusty]

I guess I'm the only Southerner who has never had shrimp and grits before. I have a pot of grits on the stove right now. I'll let them simmer in the double boiler all night so they'll be tender and sweet for breakfast. The longer they cook the better they are.
I guess I'll have to settle for grits and eggs in the mornin. Maybe with some collards for lunch.

Shrimp, mmmmm.

[Doc Hudson]

I didn't even know you could still get old fashioned slow cooking grits.

I've been using Uncle Ben or Quaker Quick (Not instant! YUCK!!!) for years. I can't remember the last time I saw the slow grits in the grocery.

[Rusty]

Ours usually come in a little paper sack. Dixie Lilly is my preferred brand but they are hard to find.

[slimster]

Duely stolen for the cookbook!

Thanks Slimster!

Heck no Doc, you ain't stealin' that recipe...it's freely given! I'm glad to share ways to help us truly enjoy the Lord's bountiful blessings. I love to cook, and I have lots of recipes that the guys here should enjoy. I sure am glad that I thought to save all of my grandmother's old recipes. What do ya'll want next? I got recipes for tomato gravy, chocolate gravy, Hoppin' John, Limpin' Susan, baked Vidalia onions in cream sauce, fried green tomatos, frogmore stew, a Brunswick stew recipe for squirrel, rabbit pie, fried frog legs, baked quail, salt pork with cream gravy and lots more. (I'm sitting here smelling a buttermilk chess pie that's in the oven as I'm typing...can't wait!, got about 30 more minutes...then it's gotta cool)

[Jimbo]

think that would work with crawdads? We can catch the crawdads around here but the shrimp aren't so fresh.

[JerryB]

slimster, do you mean tomato gravy as in fried porkchops, grits and tomato gray? I was raised on that. I tought my wife to make when we got married and now the grandkids make it too. Good stuff ain't it Rusty.

[Rusty]

Jerry, we still have two restaurants ( both owned by the same guy) that have grits and tomato gravy. One is a Grandpa Johnson's Bar B Que. The other is the Market Garden which is famous for it's buffet line full of country cookin.

[slimster]

think that would work with crawdads? We can catch the crawdads around here but the shrimp aren't so fresh.

Jimbo, I ain't never tried it with crawdads, but I expect they ought to work fine. I might have to try it myself some time! I would try it as a straight substitution without modifying any other cooking steps. Let us know how it turns out!

slimster, do you mean tomato gravy as in fried porkchops, grits and tomato gray? I was raised on that. I tought my wife to make when we got married and now the grandkids make it too. Good stuff ain't it Rusty.

Jerry B, yessir, that is exactly it. It is good stuff. Excellent with meatloaf too, or slopped on some biscuits. Chocolate gravy makes biscuits a special treat too, and is super easy to make. Tonight I'm making a meatloaf, tomato gravy, mashed taters, fried corn, and another chess pie. Mmmmm! What are ya'll havin?

[deerwhacker444]

Will one of you fine folk tell me what the draw is to eating grits..? I didn't grow up on them and nobody in my family cooks them. I've tried them before at places like Golden Corral and Kettle for breakfast, but I didn't see what the big deal was.

From all the stories I've heard, it seems that grits is the base for something else. "Ie...you get a bowl of grits and add this, and this, and this to them to make them edible. Does anybody eat grits straight, or do you have to put something in them.

I was travelling back from CA to OK with some family members. We stopped in Amarillo, TX at a Kettle for their breakfast buffet. They had grits on the line and I elected to pass. The next thing I hear is a gagging noise and I look over at my aunt, who proclaims......There's something Wrong with their Cream of Wheat..!.. I got a good laugh out of that one.

[Mokwaw]

I would like to see that recipe for baked vidalias and cream sauce. I have a bunch here and need some ideas, thanks.

[rock-steady]

Down here we have an old saying........

"True grits, more grits, fish grits and collards. Life is good, where grits are swollar'd."

Specializing in Grits, Guns, and Groceries............

[Ray]

Deleted.

[slimster]

Sure thing, Mokwaw...Baked Vidalia Onions in Cream Sauce: 3 med. sized Vidalia or other sweet onions; 1 cup light cream; 1/3 cup cooking sherry; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 (4oz.) can sliced mushrooms; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 3 tablespoons butter; 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese: Remove outer skin from onions, slice thickly, and boil gently until tender (about 15 min.), then drain. Arrange onions on bottom of 14" by 9" baking dish. Combine cream, sherry, eggs, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and pour over onions. Dot with butter and distribute cheese on top. Bake, covered, at 350 deg. for 20 min. dw444, your story reminds me of something that happened to a friend of mine's mother once. They were spending their first night in a new house, and were all worn out after a busy day. They had a hasty meal of fast food and turned in early. Her mom soon began suffering from an upset stomach and went rummaging for the packed away alkaseltzer. With the aid of a flashlight she finally uncovered the remedy. With a plop, plop. fizz, fizz, she was ready to enjoy a well earned rest, but she immediately went volcanic....you guessed it...she took denture cleaner instead of alkaseltzer!

[MikeS.]

For a Calif. boy I sure love me some grits. Thanks for the recipes.

[RSY]

You forgot the Tabasco.

Scott

[Mokwaw]

Slimster, thanks much. I'm going to give this a try real soon.

[slimster]

Plenty of Vidalia onions on the store bins right now, and I picked some up this morning. One night soon, Im going to do the baked Vidalia onions in cream sauce, been a while. Anyway, I remembered this post, and wanted to pull it back up for Doc to see. I know he got the shrimp and grits recipe, but didn't know if he saw the baked onions or not.

[Rusty]

Maybe you can get JerryB to share his grit n' tomato gravy too. I can see a whole section in this cookbook on what to do with grits.

[Blaine]

I prefer my grits baked into pone or cakes and then crumbled up with the extras.....A seafood stew over corn cakes is pretty good. I like the cakes thin and browned up some.....

[O.S.O.K.]

Rusty, PM me with your address and I will send you some of my company's base mixes - samples. I think you will appreciate them.

[Doc Hudson]

Slimster,
Thanks for bumping this back ino my notice. Appaently I've managed o loose both the Shrimp and Grits and Baked Vidalia Onion in Cream Sauce Recipes. i won't loose them again!

Pleaase PM or e-mail me your proper name and location so I can properly attribute the recipes.

BTW, RRE:

Heck no Doc, you ain't stealin' that recipe...it's freely given! I'm glad to share ways to help us truly enjoy the Lord's bountiful blessings. I love to cook, and I have lots of recipes that the guys here should enjoy. I sure am glad that I thought to save all of my grandmother's old recipes. What do ya'll want next? I got recipes for tomato gravy, chocolate gravy, Hoppin' John, Limpin' Susan, baked Vidalia onions in cream sauce, fried green tomatos, frogmore stew, a Brunswick stew recipe for squirrel, rabbit pie, fried frog legs, baked quail, salt pork with cream gravy and lots more. (I'm sitting here smelling a buttermilk chess pie that's in the oven as I'm typing...can't wait!, got about 30 more minutes...then it's gotta cool)

Those will do for a start, if you can't find more.

Those all sound good. I'd appeciate it if you'd e-maail them to me a: dochudson2 AT yaho DOT com. It is easier than copying from the forum and having to straighten them out.

[slimster]

Doc,-P.M. sent.

[El Chivo]

Will one of you fine folk tell me what the draw is to eating grits..?

with just the right amount of butter, salt, and pepper they are perfect with fried eggs. I don't favor putting anything else in the grits.

You know what I miss since leaving Ohio, is goetta. Oatmeal-based sausage. I think it's an Amish concoction - very tasty.

[Thunder50]

I like a little sugar in my grits. Growing up, couldn't stand grits, then about 40 or so, my niece went in the hospital in N.C. and wasn't expected to survive , so caught a flight as quick as I could get there to see her (came out of it just fine, by the Grace of God!), and went with my Sister to go eat one morning, when things were looking OK.

Waitress brought grits, so tried them as I would eat oatmeal. They were GOOD. I know some of you are cringing about me putting sugar in them, but at least I like them now. Only can get the quick cooking around here, but better than nothing.


Did somebody mention buttermilk chess pie!!

[piller]

Growing up in the center of the Continental U.S., I never ate grits. When I was in the Army I saw them for the first time. I think the only that I don't like grits is the Army style, in a bowl with syrup on top. My wife grew up with Polenta due to her Swiss heritage, and if I fix the grits with something in them, she eats as much as I do. The sweetness from the corn, plus the mild flavor, plus its ability to soak up other flavors and allow them to combine makes grits a great base for many dishes. As we all know, there are ways to mess up almost any food, and most people who don't like grits have probably had them when they were badly cooked.

[Doc Hudson]

I like a little sugar in my grits.

That could get you run out of most Southern States on a rail!

i remember WAAAAAY back in the Summer of 1975, at the mess hall on Vandenberg AFB, Joanne Mauro (cutest little nisei girl you ever saw) joined, Red Stanley (another Alabaman) and Hank Narron (a North Carolinian) and I at a table for breakfast. For only the second time in weeks grits were on the menu and all us Southern boys were filling up on grits and eggs. Joanne also got bowl of grist ans when she sat down she reached for the sugar bowl.

When we saw what she was about to do, all three of us begged her not to ruin thos grits wilt sugar and milk. She thought #1 "These Guys are pulling my leg." #2 "These guys are nuts!"

She went ahead and ruined those grits with lots of sugar and drowned them in milk. To our horror, she gave every indication of enjoying them immensely.