La Cucina di Kat: Outrageously Delicious Shrimp and Grits

I can't describe in emoticons, computer lingo, etc...how good this is! I've been wanting to make this for a long time and thanks to Reddit Foodlovers, today was the day! It's so tasty and spicy (but not overboard), creamy and just comforting! We were lucky to find some gorgeous "Key West Pinks" at our local fish retailer and that made it all the more Delicious!

Ingredients

Grits:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow grits
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon pepper sauce
1/2 cup of grated Cheese
(In this recipe I used 1/2 blue/1/2 parmesan)

Shrimp:

1 pound (15 count) extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon of Smoked Paprika
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound diced kielbassa (Boars head brand is the best!)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 14 oz Rotel Hot Tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine
fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, basil) a few sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced scallions

Directions

Peel and Devien your Shrimp -

Grits:

Bring cream, chicken broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, butter, and hot sauce to a boil.
Stir in the grits, and cook over low heat. Check the instructions on the back of the grits for cooking times as they all vary. These I did for about 10 minutes, constantly checking and stirring.. When things start thickening up, add the cheese and stir in well. If things get too thick, just stir in a little water. Turn off the heat and put it on the back burner.

   

Shrimp:

Dice the sausage and chop the garlic and herbs.

Over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the sausage and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Paprika, fresh herbs, shrimp and butter and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and wine and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Give the Grits a quick little heat up and plate them in shallow bowls with shrimp mixture over the top. Garnish with scallions and serve.

You'll probably notice that there are no scallions on the shrimp! I'm losing my mind lately and had them cut up and ready to go, but was so excited to eat this dish, forgot to put them on. They would have made a really nice addition!