Tipsy Shrimp & Grits

A delightful dish for serving any time of the day is this Creole inspired dish.

Cooking the shrimp with a little wine adds a little validity to this inebriated dish. The use of coarse-ground grits in this typical southern dish is for those who take their grits seriously.

Tipsy Shrimp with Grits

4 servings

4 cups of water
1 tbsp. salt
2 cups coarse-ground grits
3 cups milk
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1" pieces
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled
1 small clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1⁄4 cup white wine or dry sherry
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
2 green onions chopped, mostly the green part
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves

Bring the water with salt to a boil in the top pot of a double boiler set over high heat. Fill the bottom pot of the double boiler about halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually pour grits into the salted water, stirring constantly with a spoon to prevent lumping, and then fit pot onto the bottom pot of the double boiler. Let the grits absorb the liquid and thicken, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the milk and cook stirring frequently, until grits are tender and creamy, about 45 minutes. Thin with some of the remaining milk if grits become too thick. Cover pot and reduce heat to low while preparing shrimp.
Fry bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard all but a thin film of bacon drippings from skillet.
Increase heat to medium-high and add shrimp, garlic, and three-quarters of the bacon to same skillet. Sauté stirring often until shrimp are just pink, about 3 minutes. Add wine, scrape any brown bits stuck to bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon and cook until alcohol has evaporated and reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add cream, green onions and cook stirring constantly until sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes more. Divide grits among four bowls, then spoon shrimp and sauce over grits.