Grits a Ya Ya

A friend of mine made this grits a ya ya dish for a Mardi Gras dinner. It was so delicious, I just had to have the recipe.

Preparation Details

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups chicken stock
• ¾ cup old fashioned grits
• ¼ cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, or more to taste
• ¼ cup butter

Steps

1. Prepare the grits: Bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
2. Slowly pour grits into stock while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer until grits are tender and thick, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in heavy cream to thin out the grits. Stir in Gouda cheese and butter until melted and smooth.
4. While grits are cooking, make the shrimp sauce: Place bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium heat; cook until bacon fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in shallot and garlic; cooking and stirring until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour in white wine and stir in butter, cooking and stirring until butter has melted.
7. Drop shrimp in the skillet; cook and stir until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 3 minutes.
8. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, and green onions; cook and stir until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes more.
9. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon.
10. Stir in heavy cream to the sauce. Simmer until the cream is reduced by about a third, about 10 minutes. Season with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Return shrimp to the skillet to heat through.
11. Serve shrimp with sauce over the prepared grits.