Shrimp and Grits

Start by making the grits. Bring the 3 cups of liquid to a simmer in a sauce pot. Slowly whisk in the grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits are nice and thick, about 10 to 20 minutes depending on your grits. Season with salt and pepper. Put the butter on top to melt and keep a skin from forming; you’ll whisk it in later.

Meanwhile, make the shrimp. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until translucent; a little color is okay, but not too much. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the sausage and cook until browned all the way through, breaking up the larger chunks with your cooking implement of choice as you go. At this point, you want about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan. If you don’t have that, add a little butter to get there.

Sprinkle the flour over and mix it into the sausage well, making sure it combines with the fat and there’s no raw flour lingering in the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of the raw floury taste.

Whisk in a cup of stock and the whole milk, stirring constantly to incorporate the roux. Bring to a low boil and evaluate the thickness; use more stock to get the sauce to a gravy-like consistency. Add the bay leaf, thyme, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes, and let simmer to combine the flavors.

Just before you’re ready to serve, add the vinegar. Stir to combine, and drop in the shrimp. Poach them in the gravy until they’re just cooked through. Meanwhile, whisk the butter into the grits; if they’ve gotten too thick, thin them out with a little more stock, milk or cream.

Put a (reasonable) pile of grits in your bowl, and add a ladle or two of gravy and sausage, making sure you get 4 to 7 shrimp (depending on their size) per serving. Add a chive if you require visual appeal. Eat, making sure you have a spoon to get all the gravy-soaked grits that will remain at the bottom of the bowl.