Shrimp and Grits

If you love shrimp and are looking for a new way to eat them, I have the recipe for you.  Grits aren't that popular in California but people familiar with Southern cooking know they make a versatile side dish, going equally well with breakfast or dinner.  Here the grits serve as a velvety base for sauteed shrimp smothered with a spicy gravy.  Serves 4.

Grits:
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup quick cooking grits (the brand I use is Albers)
1 tablespoon butter

Bring 3 cups of the water and salt to a boil.  While stirring, mix in the grits and adjust heat to low.  Keep stirring until grits come together, cover and let sit for 5-6 minutes.  After this point, alternate stirring and adding the rest of the water a little at a time.  This step should take another 5-6 minutes. Finish with butter. The grits should be glossy, creamy and be the texture of risotto or loose mashed potatoes. 

Shrimp:
1 lb medium-large shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and cleaned
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons bacon fat (substitute butter or olive oil, if desired)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup wine or chicken stock

Combine Cajun seasoning, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of the shrimp.  Heat fat over medium heat in a 12" skillet (preferably cast iron).  Add the shrimp and garlic and cook about 1 1/2 minutes per side.  Add the wine or stock to plump the shrimp and help de-glaze the pan.  Remove the shrimp and keep warm.

Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Salt and pepper

Mix the butter and flour together in a small bowl until all the flour grains are covered by the butter.  Over medium heat, add this mixture to the pan drippings, stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon.  Keep stirring until you have a thick paste the color of peanut butter.  This step cooks the flour and ensures the gravy will be smooth.  Don't rush it, it will take around 4-6 minutes.  Raise heat to medium and slowly whisk in stock and half and half.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until thick and bubbly.  Mix in Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.  Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.


To serve, place heaping spoonfuls of grits into large bowls, top with shrimp and gravy.  You can easily round this out by serving with a vibrant green vegetable like broccoli, asparagus or even swiss chard.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

That's a BIG one!

An old friend gave me this colossal zucchini (thanks Tammy!)  At over a foot and a half long and weighing in slightly over four pounds, I had a tough time deciding what to do with it.  Usually when I cook squash, I slice them into planks or rounds and saute in a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Simple, but I wanted to use this one in a way  that would show off its incredible size and besides, it seemed a shame to cut it up.  Stuffing seemed like an obvious choice!


Don't be discouraged by all the steps involved, you'll be making each component one at a time, then combining them together when it's ready to pop in the oven.  Oh yeah, you don't need a zucchini the size of Texas to make this dish, normal sized zukes will work fine or you can use the stuffing mixture for bell peppers, acorn squash or even tomatoes!   Here's the recipe which serves about 4.

Turn this...

Into this!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Start by making the sauce:

29 oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon each:  marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme*
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Add all herbs to tomato sauce and set aside.

*Don't get hung up if your spice rack is missing some of these, you can replace the marjoram with basil or all the herbs by using your favorite Italian seasoning.  Put in what you like or have on hand. :)

Now make the filling:


1 lb hamburger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice, cooked and cooled (or leftover)
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

Brown ground beef over medium heat in a large skillet, season with salt and pepper, drain.**  Set aside meat in a bowl lined with a paper towel then saute onion and peppers in the olive oil over medium heat, adding the garlic last so it doesn't burn, this step should take around 5 minutes.  Re-season with salt and pepper.  Add meat, rice and about 1/2 the sauce, stir.  Add parsley and adjust seasonings to taste.  Now you're ready to prepare and stuff your zucchini!

**A helpful tip for draining ground beef:  Use a turkey baster to suck up the drippings and squirt into a jar reserved for this purpose.  (If you don't keep a grease jar under the kitchen sink, like I do, you can always line a coffee mug with foil, squirt in the fat and throw it out when it solidifies.)  It's much easier than awkwardly tipping the pan and pouring the grease off which can be dangerous or make a huge mess.

Ready to Stuff

Slice your zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle to make a shallow boat.  Salt and pepper, and drizzle olive oil over the cut sides and make sure to rub the olive oil over the skin sides as well.  Put your zukes in a casserole dish and mound the filling into the boats, as much as they will hold.  Drizzle more sauce over the top and put on the middle rack of your oven, preheated to 375 degrees.  Bake until fork tender, about 35-45 minutes depending on the size. If the filling seems to be getting overly brown cover with tin foil.

While it's baking, prepare the cheese crumble:

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parsley

Combine cheese, panko and parsley.  Sprinkle over top of the stuffing during the last 10 minutes of cooking and bake until topping is melty and golden!

Out of the oven

Serve any remaining sauce with the meal in case anyone wants extra.  To bulk up dinner...a green salad and/or garlic bread would go really well.  And don't forget the red wine!  Thanks for reading, I'll be back next week.

Santa Barbara Getaway aka What I Ate on Summer Vacation

In honor of our 17th wedding anniversary, Bob and I headed to Santa Barbara for a weekend getaway.  We pulled into town around lunchtime and were surprised to discover the City was celebrating Old Spanish Fiesta Days!  This event is in it's 87th year and is a celebration of community and cultural diversity.  Featuring dancing, Mariachis, feats of strength as well as a rodeo, the colorful Viva La Fiesta! parade had the streets surrounding our hotel closed off so we ditched the car and headed toward the beach in search of our first meal.

Dungeness Crab Cocktail

Our first stop was Moby Dick's.  Located on the famous Stearn's Warf, Moby Dick's features fresh seafood and oyster bar set in an apropo nautical theme.  We managed to snag a table by the plate glass window and watched as pelicans divebombed the water for their lunch.  Since dinner was hours away, we decided to forgo a full meal and ordered appetizers and soup.  The crab cocktail was made with one of my favorite things in the world: Dungeness crab! 

Oyster's Rockefeller

We also ate cups of clam chowder and inhaled these Oyster's Rockefeller.  If you aren't familiar with this type of oyster, they're made with spinach and a rich hollandaise sauce.  The oysters are hidden underneath this creamy mixture...like little pillows under a spinach blanket. :)  Moby Dick's version also had bacon pieces in it which always makes everything taste better.

 Our Inn was within walking distance of a cluster of local wine rooms located in what's known as the Industrial part of downtown, also called Funk Zone by the locals.  We visited Santa Barbara Winery's production and tasting room which had a delicious Nebbiolo.  Oreana, which used to be an old tire shop but now doubles as a wine tasting room and art gallery, had a crisp Sauvingnon Blanc that Bob and I absolutely loved, it was clean and drier than what I expected.  The Cotton Wood tasting room specialized in Pinot Noir and we sampled a few including their estate version which tasted like Port...sweet, cinnamon-y and a little like raisins!  All and all we sampled over twenty different wines and had to take a pedicab back to the hotel! ;) 

For dinner we picked the Harbor Restaurant, known for the freshest seafood in the bay.  Hubby and I split a mouthwatering ten ounce lobster tail. The lobster was fluffy, decadent and disappeared in about 60 seconds!  The evening was spectacular, we overlooked the ocean while seals played, then watched as the sun set behind the Santa Ynez mountains. Beautiful.

Morning Tightener

Lobster Roll

Fried Ipswitch Clams

After a leisurely morning walk down the beach taking in the Arts & Craft show it was time for lunch again!  We decided on The Arch Rock Fish Company.  Tagged as the newest "neighborhood joint," Arch Rock is owned by Celebrity Chef Scott Leibfried...better known as Chef Ramsay's sous chef on Hell's Kitchen. His point of view takes regional and international seafood dishes and gives them more of a beach vibe.  Considering that the lobster roll and fried clams we ordered were the creme de la creme of these New England style favorites I think Chef Scott's definitely on to something!  The herbaceous Green Goddess dressing served with the field greens was especially notable.

Bacon Wrapped Prawns

Our last stop was Holdren's, a classic steak place with the dark clubby atmosphere I like in a chop house.  If I'm going to eat lamb I prefer to do so in the dark! ;) We looked at the menu back at our B&B and had already decided to order the bacon wrapped prawns as our appetizer.  The shrimps were stuffed with feta cheese and fresh jalapeno then encircled with rashers of applewood smoked bacon. Served with a hothouse cucumber/ginger salad and a sweet chili sauce, they were melty, spicy, smokey perfection on a plate!  For our entree, we shared the mesquite grilled lamb chops served with an ancho chile gravy.  My favorite thing about ordering lamb is watching my hubby nibble away on the bones, he has to get the last of that salty fat and it cracks me up, even after 23 years.  Everything here was finger licking good, the photos don't do this food justice...like I said it was dark in there!

Having to head home is always the worst part about vacation but getting to relive our getaway in words and pictures for this blog was really special.  Thanks for reading, I'll be back next week. :)

Salad Monday - Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Salad Monday got its start at our house about a year ago as a way to eat less meat, get more veggies in our diet and overall eat lighter... especially after the weekend when my hubby and I loosen the reigns and indulge in some meals of the higher calorie variety.  ;)  We typically go out to dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, then I make a big Sunday dinner so, yes, come Monday we are ready to lighten things up a bit.  Last Monday I made this Shrimp Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.  It serves 2-4. 

Bacon dressing

1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons bacon drippings

Whisk all ingredients except bacon drippings in a bowl and set aside.

Spinach Salad
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1" pieces (reserve 2 tablespoons drippings for dressing)
1 lb shrimp, cleaned, peeled, with tails off
Cajun spice
Kosher salt
1/4 cup beer
Fresh cracked black pepper

Bag of baby spinach
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 avocado, diced

Assemble salads, dividing the spinach, egg, mushrooms and avocado between plates, chill.

Fry bacon in a large skillet (I use a 12" cast iron pan), set aside.  Drain off the fat and keep warm to add to dressing right before serving.  Sprinkle shrimp with seasoning, salt and pepper.  Saute shrimp in same pan you used for the bacon, about 2 minutes on each side until opaque.  Add beer to plump shrimp up and add a ton of flavor. :)

Finish dressing by whisking in warm bacon drippings.  Add shrimp and bacon to salads, drizzle with dressing and serve.

You can change this up a bit by adding in candied walnuts, sliced red onions and/or croutons!  Hope you like it.

Welcome to The Gravy!

I decided to start this food blog on a whim because I wanted a place where I could write about food, cooking, restaurants, a place to share pictures, recipes and tips...a site to have a general conversation about all things edible.

A big part of my life revolves around tasty eats: preparing meals, going to restaurants, ordering the perfect entree and then discussing it later with my foodie friends.  My favorite things are feeding my husband, friends and family and seeing them enjoying my food as well as traveling and dining on the local cuisine.  These simple pleasures give me joy! :)

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Diane, The Gravy Blogger