Grits a Ya Ya?

14 years ago

Has anyone made Grits a Ya Ya at home?

My flooring guy just came back from Pensacola FL raving about this meal. I looked online and see the restaurant has posted the full recipe.

It looks great..ie, lots of heavy cream, butter & cheese. I have a little time before my New Years resolution!

I've never cooked grits. The recipe looks like it calls for regular, not quick cooking. If I can find them in KC, is it worth the cost of the ingredients and the time OR is this maybe over the head of a cooking newbie?

Grits a Ya Ya

By Chef Jim Shirley

4 servings

Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits:

1 quart chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups Dixie Lily grits
1/4 pound butter
1/2 pound shredded smoked Gouda cheese

The Ya Ya:

8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallots
3 tablespoons butter
White wine
1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced
1/4 cup diced scallions
2 cups chooped fresh spinash
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups smoked Gouda cheese grits
Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

Method

First, make your grits. Run the chicken stock into a thick-bottomed saucepan and turn on high til it boils. Mix in the grits and stir like crazy. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream if you need more liquid. Then tumble in the butter, drizzle in the rest of the cram and stir til it's all in the family. Then shake in the shredded cheese and stir very well til it's all nice and smooth.

While your grits cook, bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add bacon and cook for about 3 minutes, then add garlic and shallots. Saute and then add butter and a splash of white wine. When the butter is half melted, add the shrimp. When the downsides of the shrimp become white, flip them and add mushrooms, scallions and spinach. Saute for 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Pour in heavy cream and let simmer while stirring. When reduced by one third, add salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return shrimp to the sauce and combine. Spoon the sauce and shrimp onto heaping mounds of cheese grits.

Recipe compliments of The Fish House, Pensacola, Florida

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Comments (11)

patti43
14 years ago
Oh wow--no wonder he was raving about it. It sounds wonderful! I used to order a similar dish at a small restaurant in Forsythe, GA., called the Grits Cafe. I just love that place. It was called a Grits Martini, because they served it in a martini glass with a shrimp hanging off the side. After reading the recipe, I can see why they serve such a small portion!

Here is a link that might be useful: Grits Cafe
lindac
14 years ago
With all the cream, butter and cheese it makes me burp just thinking about it. And I am not a fan of smoked gouda...
I would sub whole milk for the cream in the cheese grits and use half and half in the Ya Ya part.
But spinach, bacon, shallots, garlic, shrimp and wine in a cheese sauce....what's not to like?
But really....wouldn't it hold it's own over simply cooked grits....or even plain white rice?
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glenda_al
14 years ago
Sounds delicious!

Have a restaurant here, called the Cajun Steamer, that serves seafood gumbo ya ya. One of my favorites there, next to the fried crawfish tails.
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
I think it sounds wonderful! I don't make that type of thing at home but I do like to order it in restaurants. (Most non chain nice restaurants here have a shrimp and grits entree) The recipe sounds easy enough too. Copying and saving for a special occasion!
foodonastump
14 years ago
Copy/pasted for the next time DW takes the kids and leaves me home alone with the bong!
ci_lantro
14 years ago
Love grits but the rest of the family doesn't. I'd serve the Ya-Ya over angel hair pasta and, like Lindac, opt for half n' half in the sauce instead of cream.
wizardnm
14 years ago
FOAS, I needed a good LOL.
shaun
14 years ago
FOAS I'm doubled over laughing.
sally2_gw
14 years ago
Too funny, FOAS!

That sounds delicious, even as I think about a vegetarian version of this. I might make a good mushroom stock to use instead of chicken broth. I'd just leave the bacon out, maybe add a drop or two of smoke flavoring, or maybe not. Anyway, I'm copying and pasting your recipe and saving it. Slow cooking grits are not easy to find, but I could see doing this recipe with polenta.

When I cook grits or polenta, I use a whisk to stir the grits into the pan. It works wonderfully to keep the grits or polenta from lumping.

Sally
jessyf
14 years ago
And what recipe for brownies would you add to that evening, Mr. F. Too funny!
jennifer_in_kansas
Original Author
14 years ago
Haha, this forum has quite a lively bunch!

Gouda question. After Natals comment I decided to rip open my Reypenaer 1yr Gouda and try it. Well, I like it...it has a tangy kick and goes very well with red wine. I realized, though, I didn't buy the smoked version. Also, it has some grit in it. Can I substitute smoked Gruyere? Also, is a little grit a characteristic of this cheese?

Sally, thanks for the advice on the grits. I'm glad you mentioned slow cooking grits are hard to find. I've been to 3 large chain grocery stores and can only find the quick-cooking grits. I have one more place to try...Whole Foods. If they don't carry them I'll try your suggestion of polenta (something else I've never cooked but always wanted to try)

Jennifer

{{!gwi}}

Grits a Ya Ya?

Comments (11)

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