Good morning on this the last Wednesday of 2010. We have three requests today, all from Goldie Washington: restaurant-style hot wings and homemade hot sauce to serve with them, and for oven-fried sweet potato sticks.
Two versions of shrimp and grits arrived this week from two seasoned cooks. Jane Guthrie and Barbara (no last name) sent their best versions.
Mrs. Guthrie’s recipe has worked for dozens of dinner parties with nary a complaint. “I think the magic has to do with the grits,” she explained. “You just can’t go wrong with grits.”
Jane’s Do-Ahead Shrimp and Grits
6 slices bacon
1 pound medium-size frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
Peanut oil
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 cup sliced green onions
1 large clove garlic, crushed through a garlic press
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
1 recipe cheese grits (your favorite recipe)
Cook and crumble the bacon. Remove tails on shrimp and keep barely warm in the oven; be sure not to cook.
Mushrooms may be lightly salted and roasted in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 F. Or heat peanut oil in the skillet and add some of reserved bacon drippings.
Pat shrimp dry; heat gently and meld with the cooked mushrooms, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, Tabasco, parsley, salt and pepper. Serve over cheese grits; if grits are made ahead, reheat in microwave before adding shrimp.
Barbara’s Simple Shrimp and Grits
Stone-ground grits
Milk and chicken broth for cooking grits, optional
Grated cheese (cook’s choice)
1 (1-pound) can large-diced tomatoes and juice
Sautéed vegetables: green pepper, onion, mushrooms and garlic
Thyme and Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
Basil and cayenne (optional)
Shrimp
Prepare grits according to package directions, using milk and some chicken broth if it is available. Add cheese and keep warm.
Mix together tomatoes with juice and sautéed vegetables, and season to taste with thyme and Old Bay seasoning, and if desired basil and cayenne. Add peeled shrimp at the end and cook only until pink. Serve over cheese grits.
Also from Barbara this week came the ultimate biscuit, from the Flying Biscuit Café of Atlanta and Charlotte. She found it in a 2008 issue of Taste of the South.
Famous Flying Biscuits
3 cups all-purpose White Lily flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
11/2 cups light cream
1/3 cup half-and-half
Heat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut butter into bits about 1/2-tablespoon size and add to flour. Using your hands, work butter into dry ingredients. Don’t hold back. Mix until butter is cut to the size of small peas.
Make a well in the center of flour mixture and pour in light cream. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients by moving your hand in a circular fashion, knocking flour mixture into liquid. Stir just until dough comes together in a sticky ball.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 times. Do not overwork dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 1-inch thickness.
Dip a 21/2-inch biscuit cutter in flour, and then cut dough. Repeat until all dough has been cut. Do not twist cutter; apply pressure straight down, then pull back evenly. Scraps can be massed together and rerolled one time.
Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet, leaving 1/4-inch between them. Brush tops with half-and-half and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Biscuits will be golden brown on top and flaky in the center when done.
Happy 2011. Until next year …