When I’m at home with the TV on chances are it’s tuned to the Food Network (if it’s not primetime that is!). Now, I have a love hate relationship with the Food Network. Back in the day it used to be great when they had real chefs that weren’t annoying. But these days there are way too many Rachael Rays, Sandra Lees etc for me to deal with. But I like food, so I watch.
I have a soft spot in my heart for Paula Deen. Maybe it’s my love of Southern Food, maybe it’s her accent and overly enthusiastic use of butter but something always compels me to watch her show. About 98% of what she makes grosses me out. She’s the type to fry bacon in lard and top it with butter if you know what I mean. For the average person that is just unacceptable. I spend most of the time watching her episodes and guessing how much butter, sugar and lord knows what else she will use. But every once in a while she’ll make something that makes me stop and think that I might be willing to make it. Hence my affair with Shrimp Florentine Over Tomato Grits.
I know what you’re thinking, it looks like shrimp on top of barf. Okay, I get that and I respect it, but trust me, it’s delicious. But in a weird way. I would NEVER think of serving shrimp in a spinachy cream sauce on tops of grits made with cheddar cheese and canned tomatoes… but for some bizarro reason it works.
The recipe is via the Food Network and requires a lot of work to make it to my level of wholesomeness. Some of the things it calls for I’ve never heard of or seen in the supermarket (they must be popular in the south, I checked all over New York City — including Harlem — and couldn’t a garlic cheese roll to save my life), and others I had no interest in using. And for the sake of my sanity, and health, I reduced some of the ingredients so that I wouldn’t feel my heart seizing up.
The tomato grits required the most doctoring. I didn’t use the Garlic Cheese Roll which I later learned is something like garlic flavoured velveeta (I’ve never had velveeta and don’t intend to anytime soon). The original recipe calls for Garlic Cheese Roll AND 2.5 cups of cheese. No kidding. I knocked out the cheese roll and used somewhere between 2 and 2.5 cups of cheddar cheese. To add the garlic flavour make in I used a bit of garlic powder and some sauteed minced garlic. As per usual with Paula Deen the recipe calls for a full stick of butter. I used about half that amount and was happy with the results. Finally it’s hard to find diced tomatoes with jalapeños in Toronto so I just used regular diced tomatoes and threw in some minced jalapeños for the extra kick.
The shrimp florentine was less problematic. The only change I made was not using heavy cream. I used some half and half with a bit of milk and that worked for me.
I’ve made this a few times and still enjoy it. It’s definitely not an everyday dish (unless you are trying to kill yourself) but it’s yummy for a change of pace.
SHRIMP FLORENTINE OVER TOMATO GRITS
Tomato Grits:
2 cups water
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup quick cooking grits
1 stick butter, plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup green onions, diced
6-ounce garlic cheese roll
2 1/2 cups Cheddar, shredded
10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Shrimp Florentine:
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove minced garlic
12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 to 2 lemons juiced
White wine, for deglazing
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Grand Padana
2 cups fresh spinach, packed down
1 dash ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the tomato grits, in a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Add the salt. Slowly add the grits and return to a boil; stir for 1 full minute. (The secret to preparing good grits is the initial stirring of the pot.) Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir the grits and add 1 stick of butter, stirring until it has melted. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the grits are thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and set aside. Saute the onions in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for 1 minute. Add the garlic cheese, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and onions to the grits, and stir until cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes and green chiles and mix well; stir in the beaten eggs. Pour the grits into a greased 8 by11 by 2-inch casserole. Bake the casserole for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
To make the Shrimp Florentine, start with 1 tablespoon butter in saute pan. Add minced garlic and shrimp. Deglaze with lemon and wine. Add cream, cheese and spinach. Reduce, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and pour over grits
