Even though I am born and raised in North Carolina, I must admit, I really do not cooK Southern food very often. On the other hand, I really do enjoy the traditional Southern dishes like fried green tomatoes, pulled pork, and collard greens. On very rare occasions, my mother will make her homemade fried chicken, which is completely to die for, but other than that my family does not keep many Southern food staples within the house. However, one can always find a bag of stone ground grits in our pantry.
Now dinner in the Hoski household must always have meat for the boys, generally some sort of red meat, and while I do love a nice steak, I’m quite bored with the usual protein. Thus, I bought some shrimp and thought I would make some shrimp and grits. However, this isn’t just any typical Southern shrimp and grits. Instead I put an Italian twist on it by using prosciutto, tomatoes and parsley. Below is my recipe that somewhat stays true to my roots, but also brings two very different cultures together.
Shrimp and Procuitto on Grits
1 cup stone ground grits
4 ounces prosciutto, chopped
4 ounces applewood smoked bacon, chopped
2 garlic gloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra Virginia olive oil, divided
21 ounces of can diced tomatoes in juice
1 pound cleaned large shrimp
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Cook grits according to package instructions in a heavy medium saucepan until thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, then cover.
Cook prosciutto, bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until garlic is pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 a cup, 6 to 8 minutes. In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil and cook shrimp, until shrimp are just cooked through. Season with salt and add to the tomato mixture.
Spoon grits into shallow bowl and top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Enjoy!
Because bacon and prosciutto are naturally very salty, be careful when adding additional salt to the dish because it probably won’t need it! Other than that enjoy this dish just as much as I did!
Xoxo Sarah
MyFood MyWay 