DEEP SOUTH GOURMET

GEORGIA’S BEST SHRIMP AND GRITS

By Doc Lawrence

Lara Lyn Carter’s popular television cooking show on Albany Georgia’s WALB-TV, provides viewers with a regular experience of fresh ingredients, skilled preparation and gentle presentation. While others do research, hoping to learn something about the reality of farm to table, Lara Lyn simply does what she’s been doing from the first time she put a skillet on the stove. “Everything I’ve enjoyed cooking has always been available close to my kitchen. This area of Georgia is fertile and produces the finest vegetables you can find anywhere. And have you tried our olive oil yet?”

Here’s Lara Lyn’s original recipe for shrimp and grits. Note that it is an all-Georgia production. I’ve added a wine from Crane Creek Vineyards in North Georgia that pairs beautifully with all the flavors.

 Lara Lyn’s Shrimp and Grits

 With Caramelized Vidalia Onions

1 cup Gayla’s Grits (www.gaylasgrits.com)

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon pepper

8 ounces of Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill Cheese

1 large Vidalia onion chopped

2 tablespoons of Georgia Olive Farm Olive Oil

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 pound of large wild Georgia shrimp peeled and deveined

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 stick of butter melted

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary

For the grits-

Bring the chicken broth, butter and pepper to a boil.  Add the grits to the broth mixture and cook covered over low to medium heat for one hour stirring frequently.  Add water ¼ of a cup at a time as needed during the cooking to keep the grits from sticking.  During the last 15 minutes of cooking add the cheese to the grits and stir to allow it to dissolve into the grits.  This part alone is creamy delicious comfort food.

For the Onions-

Place the olive oil in a skillet over low to medium heat and add the Vidalia Onion, salt, and sugar.  Cook for 20 minutes until caramelized.

For the shrimp-

Spread the shrimp on a greased baking sheet.  Melt the butter and mix in the garlic and rosemary.  Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp and roast the shrimp in a 400-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

To serve-

Ladle the grits into 4 large serving bowls and top equal portions of the onions.  Place equal portions of the shrimp around the edges of the bowls.

Wine-

Traminette, a delightful white wine from North Georgia’s heralded Crane Creek Vineyards makes this a meal for spring and summer. Your guests will enjoy this delicious and original experience created by one of the fastest rising culinary stars, Lara Lyn Carter.

NOTE-Enjoy the visit to Montgomery and the home of Zelda Fitzgerald: http://mycookingmagazine.com/gourmet-highway-zelda-angel-from-alabama/