Shrimp and Grits

Well, here is the first improvised recipe. Shrimp and grits is a southern classic that is on damn near every menu is the Carolinas. My girlfriend was seriously jonesing for this dish, so I decided to whip some up. Since I had never made it before, I had to wing it.
You should use old fashioned grits instead of instant. The real grits have a flavor and texture that instant can't even come close to.

Grits
1 cup yellow or white grits
5 cups water
1 tsp chipotle powder
4 oz cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Shrimp
1 pound medium shrimp (26-30 count)
4 oz butter
4 strip of bacon (turkey bacon is fine if that is all you have), cut into pieces
1 medium onion, small diced
4 cloves garlic, minced


Procedure


Place the 5 cups of water into a 3-4 quart pot and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the grits, return to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for app. 30 minutes. At the end of cooking stir in the chipotle powder and cheddar cheese then season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the grits are cooking...

Peel the shrimp. Devein them if you like, but in shrimp this size it is not entirely necessary. SAVE THE SHELLs! You will need them. Melt the 4 oz of butter in a pan and add the shrimp shells. Saute them until the are pink. Strain the now shrimp flavored butter into a bowl. Be sure to press on the shells in order to strain out as much butter as you can. Throw away the shells and clean out your pan. Add your bacon to the pan and cook it until it is crisp. Add the shrimp butter to the crisp bacon. Saute your minced onion in the shrimp butter and bacon until it is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the peeled shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes until they are uniformly pink.

To serve..
Spoon some grits into a shallow bowl and place some of your sauteed shrimp on top. Garnish with more cheese if you like. Enjoy.