Here's what you'll need to start:
Shrimp--I use the biggest ones I can find, mostly I suppose so I have to clean fewer.
Some andouille sausage
Stone ground grits
Chicken stock
Onion
Red capsicum pepper
Garlic
Scallions
Butter
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Some things you might want to add in future evolutions:
Some cheese for the grits -- try asiago.
Some additional spices to add with the shrimp -- cayenne pepper, cajun spices, other?
Bacon instead of the andouille.
Some cream to add to the grits.
Don't forget to wash and remove the sticker from the capsicum.
You're going to cook the grits separately from everything else, so you'll need a pot for the grits and a skillet for the rest. But first do your prep work. Dice a medium onion, finely mince a clove of garlic, julienne a red capsicum pepper, chop a couple scallions (mostly just the green part) and finely chop some parsley to sprinkle over the entire dish at the end. Slice a couple sausages (a quarter to half a pound) into small half or quarter disks. Clean (shell and devein) your shrimp, leaving the tails on.
Start your grits. Most stone ground grits are prepared with the a very simple mix of four parts water to one part grits: I used a cup of grits, a big pinch of salt, and four cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, slowly stir in the grits, lower the heat to medium or medium low and keep stirring until the mix becomes slightly creamy, then cover and simmer for about ten minutes. Stir once or twice during that period. Add a quarter stick of butter at the end and stir well. If you're adding cheese, grate about four ounces, if you're adding cream measure out about two ounces, and stir it in about five minutes before you're ready to serve.
While the grits are cooking, add a little olive oil to a skillet (cast iron is best here) and when it's hot, add the sausage. Let it cook through and crisp the edges a bit. Once it's done, pull it out and set aside. Add the onion, garlic, and capsicum, cook until the onion is translucent. (If you're adding any additional spices, add them with the onions, &c.) Add a half cup of chicken stock, bring to a boil to dislodge any brown bits. Return the sausage to the pan to re-heat, add the shrimp and the scallions; stir to mix and then cover for three to five minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through.
Just before adding the shrimp.
Put your grits in bowls and and the shrimp, sausage and sauce over the top. Sprinkle some parsley over the dish, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Almost ready, just need the parsley. The observant will note that I omitted the scallions. Yep, I simply forget it at the store. The dish suffered only a bit.
It goes well with a crisp white. We often serve either with a Viognier or a Chardonnay.
