Welcome to 30 Days of Grits, Day 24!
Today we have a Cajun twist to the grits recipe! Many thanks to New Orleans native Michelle Gaines for sharing this recipe:
Crawfish Smothered Grits with Cheese:
INGREDIENTS: 1 pound crawfish tails, peeled (or shrimp) 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt – divided 1 ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper – divided 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 1 cup onions, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 2 cups chicken or beef stock 3 cups heavy cream (can substitute half and half) 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking white grits 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or 2 slices real cheddar cheese) Sliced green onions for garnish
DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, toss together crawfish tails with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Melt butter (or olive oil) in a 3 quart heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions, rest of salt and cayenne. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add crawfish and garlic. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in stock and cream to the pan. Taste mixture and re-season if necessary. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an additional 2 minutes. Add the grits and stir continuously until they are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese until just melted and mixed through. Serve piping hot and garnished with green onion.
*whew* I am SURELY gonna cook me some of these!
