At our core, we are about southern comforts. Sure we love Oregon wine, Boston chowder and Kansas City beef. I've eaten my self sick in San Francisco and the Tex-Mex in Albuquerque was beyond belief. But in my DNA, the food I crave is from the South. If you can find something more Southern than this, let me know and I'm on my way.
The grits are absolutely enough, all by themselves, for a sublime experience. Boil 2 cups of water with 2 cups of chicken broth, 3/4 tsp of salt and 3/4 cup of "half an half". Then whisk in a cup of grits ("no self respecting southerner uses instant grits"), reduce the heat and simmer it for about 10 minutes until it is thick. Add 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 2 tbs of butter, 1/2 tsp of Tabasco and 1/2 tsp of white pepper. Keep this warm while you make the shrimp.
Start with 3 pieces of bacon. Don't apologize. Cook that in a skillet until crisp, then take it out, crumble it, and set it aside. To the bacon drippings, add 1 Cup of sliced mushrooms and cook them down, about 2 minutes. Then add 1/3 Cup of green onions and again, cook for about 2 minutes. Then add shrimp (seasoned with salt and pepper and dredged lightly in flour) and 2 cloves of minced garlic. When the shrimp are pink, deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of chicken broth, 2 tbs of lemon juice and 1/4 tsp of Tabasco (or a lot more). Cook two more minutes and serve over the grits with the bacon and lemon wedges for garnish. Don't expect left-overs.
