Shrimp & Grits with Braised Collards & Smoked Tomato Broth

Serves 4

 Grits

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup coarse stone ground white grits
• ¼ cup butter Salt to taste

Bring water and milk to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot. Once boiling, whisk in grits. Lower heat to a simmer and continue stirring periodically (every 3-5 minutes) for the first 25 minutes to ensure that the grits don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. After 25 minutes, you can whisk a bit less frequently, but still often. Grits are done when they’re totally thick with a soft, tender mouthfeel. Consistency should be uniform. If more liquid is necessary during cooking, use water, not milk. Once done, kill the heat and add butter and whisk until incorporated. Season with salt to taste.

Smoked Tomato Broth

• ½ yellow onion, peeled and rough chopped 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon hickory smoked powder
• ½ cup white wine
• 1  28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
• 2  sprigs each parsley, fresh oregano, rosemary (stems removed from rosemary)
• ½ can tomato paste

In a medium pot, sweat the onions and red pepper flakes in olive oil until soft; onions should be translucent and not brown. Add smoked powder. Deglaze with wine and allow to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, their juices and the herbs to the pot. Simmer 25 minutes then whisk in the tomato paste. Cook an additional 10 minutes then season to taste with salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Blanched Collard Greens

•  2 pounds fresh collard greens, stems removed and leaves rough chopped

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a few pinches of salt then add the chopped collards. Have a large bowl of ice water standing by. After 90 seconds, using a hand strainer, remove the collards from the boiling water and transfer immediately to the ice water to shock them. Once the collards have cooled, use your hands to squeeze the excess water from the collards and set the greens aside.

Other Ingredients

• 16 large gulf white shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails attached Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

METHOD TO ASSEMBLE:

In a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat 4 tbs olive oil until shimmering hot. Add the shrimp carefully; do not over-crowd. There should be a bit of space between each shrimp. When you’ve placed all 16 shrimp in the pan, season with salt and pepper while the shrimp cooks.

After 2-3 minutes, the shrimp will begin to look opaque. Turn each shrimp carefully and season the other side. Cook for 1 minute then add the butter. Cook an additional minute and add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan. Immediately add 2 cups of the smoky tomato broth (reserve the rest for another use). Toss in the greens, stir to combine and cover; allow the dish to simmer for 2 minutes.

In the bottom of four shallow serving dishes, place about 1 cup of grits. Top each dish with four shrimp, a small mound of collards and a spoonful of sauce. Top with fresh herbs and serve immediately.