My boyfriend is not from the South, but for some reason he always seems to have the ingredients for shrimp & grits on hand. I am not complaining. While figuring out dinner earlier this week, we realized, once again, the best option to use what we already had was shrimp & grits, again. We decided to change it up a bit. So, based on the fact that the sausage we had was Italian, we gave the classic dish a bit of Mediterranean flair. It's a pretty obvious "twist," really... grits...polenta...
Italian Shrimp & Grits
for the shrimp:
1/2 lb. raw peeled & deveined shrimp
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh shopped oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
2 Tablespoons olive oil
for the grits:
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits Polenta
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups water
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
for the sausage & vegetables:
3 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided
5 fresh Italian chicken sausages
1 small onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 small zucchini, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh Oregano
Marinate the shrimp: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let marinate while you cook the rest of the meal.
For the grits/polenta: In a large pot, bring water and salt to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic powder. Stir frequently, cooking for about 30 minutes. Stir in olive oil and cheese. Serve hot with shrimp and sausage.
In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the sausages in 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add rest of olive oil to pot and add the onions and peppers. Cook until translucent and starting to brown. add the sage and red pepper flakes and cook about 3o seconds until fragrant. Add wine, scraping up browned bits from the pot. Cook until wine is evaporated. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and oregano. Cook until the zucchini is just tender, about 5 minutes. Chop up the sausage and add it back in. Heat through. Add the shrimp, marinade and all, and stir in, cooking another 3-5 minutes until shrimp is opaque and pink. Serve hot over polenta.
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Baked Shrimp with Feta
Bacon-wrapped Shrimp
Red Bean & Shrimp Cajun Tacos
Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Jicama Mango Salsa
Italian Sausage Balls with Gnocchi
Chicken Sausage Balls with Fennel and Waffled Polenta
Salsiccia Balls with Peppers