Grits à Ya Ya Recipe from Chef Jim Shirley
“Grits à Ya Ya”; Photography by Collis Thompson
GRITS À YA YA
Serves 4
Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound Dixie Lily grits
- ¼ pound butter
- 1 pound smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
The Ya Ya
- 8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Splash of white wine
- 1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
- 1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced
- ¼ cup diced scallions
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Hot sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
PREPARATION: First, make your grits. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a thick-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Mix in the grits and stir like crazy. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream if it needs more liquid. Then tumble in the butter, drizzle in the rest of the cream and stir until it’s all in the family. Shake in the shredded cheese and stir very well until
it’s nice and smooth.
While your grits cook, heat a large saucepan over medium. Add bacon and cook for about 3 minutes, and then add garlic and shallots. Saute and then add butter and a splash of white wine. When the butter is half melted, add the shrimp. When the downsides of the shrimp become white, flip them and add mushrooms, scallions and spinach. Saute for 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. When reduced by one-third, add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Return shrimp to the sauce and stir to combine. Spoon the sauce and shrimp onto heaping mounds of cheese grits.
