Low Country Gravy Food

THE BEST SHRIMP AND GRITS

Steps:

• Bring water, half and half, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, and salt to a boil and slowly whisk in grits.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. You will need to stir this every 3-5 minutes so the grits don't become lumpy and/or burn to the bottom of the pan.
• Slowly add more water or half and half as needed if the grits become too stiff. Cook for ~ 30 minutes (or according to package instructions).
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small pan and slowly whisk in flour. Stir often and watch carefully as this paste is easy to burn (if you burn it, lower the heat, and start over).
• Cook ~ 5-10 minutes or until medium brown in color. Watch it carefully, it can burn quickly if you don't (see video).
• You can make the roux ahead of time. It is fine sitting for an hour or more as long as it's not still cooking in the pan (FYI - roux freezes well). Make the grits and roux at the same time, as they both require a little more attention than the rest of the meal.
• Bring a large pot to medium high heat and add vegetable oil. When hot, add andouille and cook until browned.
• Remove andouille (keep any liquid in the pot) and cook chopped bacon in the same pot ~ 4-6 minutes or until done.
• Remove bacon, lower heat, and cook onion, peppers, and garlic in the pot ~ 5-7 minutes or until tender. Feel free to remove some fat if you feel like it's too much.
• Place andouille, bacon, (and any liquid from it) back into pot and add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Bring to a boil, add roux, and let simmer ~ 15 minutes.
• Add shrimp & cook ~ 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through.
• Remove from heat and let thicken ~ 5 minutes before serving. You may need to add ¼ to ½ cup broth or water to your pot if the sauce has thickened to much.
• Serve over grits and add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie

MOM'S COUNTRY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Gradually stir in milk so that no lumps form, and continue cooking and stirring until thickened. If the gravy becomes too thick, you may thin it with a little more milk.

COUNTRY GRAVY MIX

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a tightly sealed container.
• To make Gravy: Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil used to fry the chicken (or melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter) in a skillet.
• Over low heat, mix in 2 tablespoons of the Country Gravy Mix.
• Stirring constantly, cook about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup chicken broth, scraping browned bits off bottom of skillet.
• Stir in 1 cup milk and bring all to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately with chicken, mashed potatoes or biscuits.