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Hey, Scarlett, Now We Give A Damn About Southern Food

Southern cooking has become haute cuisine

Photo by MICHELLE BAKER

Shrimp and Grits recipes vary as much as the South's countryside, but this version gives props to Tampa's Spanish settlement.

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By GREG and MICHELLE BAKER

Published: December 22, 2008

Dear readers: May we please have your attention?

We have an important message from the gods. Southern cuisine is officially a hot food trend. We repeat, Southern food is officially trendy. It has taken every major city across the country by epicurean storm. Restaurants such as Cochon in New Orleans and Redhead in New York City have ripped the stereotypical Southern necessities apart and turned them into works of art. Fat intact.

Perhaps a little history is needed here to understand why this is so important.

Michelle is Southern born and bred. Her mother, Annett Korman, was an unbelievable Southern cook who honed her craft in Biloxi, Miss., as well as in Tampa with her grandmother and aunt. They would spend hours and hours making everything from butter beans to biscuits, and just about everything had bacon fat in it.

Sunday dinner invitations were highly sought after at the Korman home, and these delectable delights aided in Michelle's growth and nourishment. Luckily, she had a high metabolism.

The news that Southern food is now being recognized as a cuisine rather than a fat laden fast food is glorious! Glorious, we say! Pass the apple butter, stir the hoppin' john and start cleaning the collards, because we've got some serious cooking to do!

Southern food has come a long way. Originally, meals were heavy in fat and starches because Southerners worked very long and hard days. Those who were very poor used what could be grown on their rented land.

Even when the Southern way of life changed, the fat and starch stayed on the table.

But now, chefs are upgrading the historic classics to please the modern palette. Oh, sure, there is still a little fat, but you can't make tofu taste like bacon no matter how much lipstick you put on the pig …wait … bean.

The top Southern trend du jour is definitely grits. It is the new polenta. Grits are made from coarsely ground hulled corn that is boiled to death. Uncooked the texture is, well, gritty. Cooked right, it is creamy and dreamy. It seems every trendsetting Southern restaurant has a grit dish somewhere on the menu, and most commonly it is the heavenly Shrimp and Grits: Creamy, cheesy, buttery grits with succulently sautéed shrimp is a force of nature.

Shrimp and Grits recipes vary as much as the South's countryside. There are dozens of different ways to prepare this trendy dish. We thought we'd come up with something that looks a little fancy, is super easy, and gives props to Tampa's Spanish settlement. T-Town representin' the bottom Dirty South. (Oh, that was bad.)

SHRIMP AND GRITS WITH CHORIZO, FENNEL AND ALMONDS

Shrimp:

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 link cured Spanish chorizo, cubed

½ fennel bulb, sliced thin

¼ cup toasted almonds, slivered or chopped

½ cup chicken stock

¼ cup white wine

¼ sweet onion, diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Grits:

1 cup 5 Minute quick-cooking grits (Use stone ground if you can find them. Do not use instant.)

2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

For the shrimp:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a nonstick oven-safe pan, on medium heat, sauté onions, fennel, cured chorizo and garlic in olive oil until just browned, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Increase temperature to medium-high. Add white wine and reduce ¼ of liquid. Add chicken stock and reduce to ½. Add shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add almonds. Remove from stove and place in oven for 6-7 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven once shrimp are opaque in color.

For the grits:

Boil 3 cups of water. Add 1 cup grits to boiling water. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium-low. Boil grits for 5 minutes. Stir well and taste to ensure doneness. Be careful. Cooked grits are like molten lava. Add mascarpone cheese, milk and butter. Stir very well. For creamier grits, add an additional tablespoon of butter. Season grits with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

To plate:

Spoon grits into a ring mold until half full. Top grits with shrimp and sauce. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove ring mold. (Mini springform pans work very well, too. Or, put a heaping spoonful of grits on each plate and top with shrimp and sauce.) Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Serves 2

Check out the Sherpas' Web site, www.cooksncompany.com, or their blog, www.culinarysherpas.com.

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