Listics

Bubba Bear and Chez JJ were talking over on the Grits bulletin board. They’ve revealed some culinary secrets that deserve wider distribution. Chez JJ said, “Boil a few pounds of peeled & cleaned shrimp with some white vinegar in the water (make sure the water is at a rolling boil before you put the shrimp in & once it returns to a boil, take it off the fire & drain it immediately). Cook a big pot of real grits with sea salt & a substantial blob of real butter. Put some grits in a bowl and heap some shrimp on top. The finest cuisine on the planet now resides in your bowl!”

To which Bubba Bear replied, “You forgot the freshly ground “white” pepper and the Melissa’s habañero sauce. As to the “water,” the white vinegar is a nice touch, but half the amount of balsamic and a “boil” made of two or three bushy twigs of fresh rosemary, the leaves heavily bruised, a fair sixed twig of fresh thyme, a golf-ball-sized wad of fresh marjoram, a quarter of a bunch of Italian parsley, and one semi-large head of garlic, peeled and crushed will send you into a state of pure bliss. If you have the time and patience, use 40-50 count shrimp, clean very well and fillet open as if butterflying them. Bring water to a boil, drop in shrimp and remove from heat. Allow shrimp to “steam” in the water until they turn pink and pop to the surface; remove immediately and dash into icy cold water to stop cooking process. The heat of the grits will heat them back up. Discard boil after one use. DO NOT use over, even immediately, as the vitality of the seasoning has already been spent and the results will never measure up a second time.”

Thanks to Niek without whom I may never have found the Grits page, being a mac and cheese with ketchup on top kind of guy.