Emeril's Smothered Shrimp and Chorizo over Grits

I hope all of you have survived your Thanksgiving, house guests and pre-holiday shopping...are you ready for "Cyber Monday"?  Which by the way, started a week ago.  I already did some "cyber" shopping and nailed it on Amazon with some great deals AND free shipping.

However, meal planning is getting a little challenging as of late.  Let's just do a re-cap...

Can't look at turkey or ham for awhile...over did it.

Burned out on veggie side dishes...again, over did it at Thanksgiving.

Don't want any filling pasta...had a few too many slices of Pumpkin(carb) pie.

Don't feel like going to emergency room with E Coli, so salads are out.

Just heard this morning there is now a beef recall...are you kidding me?

Guess that means cookies just made it to the top of my food pyramid!!!!

Luckily, Emeril Lagasse and Sammy Hagar have come to my rescue once again.  I pulled this out of my "Are We Having Fun Yet" cookbook and instantly fell in love with this one.   The spices in chorizo turn up the heat in your bite, then the cool, creamy, cheesy grits smooth it out.  I swear I could swim in these grits!!!  I wish my photo turned out better to look more appetizing.  You have to trust me on this one....sooo good!!!

Emeril's Smothered Shrimp and Chorizo over Grits

Courtesy and adapted from Emeril Lagasse and Sammy Hagar's "Are We Having Fun Yet"

1 Tbl olive oil

2 Tbl butter

3 pounds large, 21-25 count shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbl paprika

1-1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

6 ounces chorizo sausage, crumbled if fresh or small diced if smoked (about 1 cup)

1 cup onion, small dice

1 Tbl minced garlic

2 Tbl minced shallots

1 Tbl minced green onion bottoms

2 cups chopped vine-repened tomatoes

1 cup shrimp stock or chicken stock

1/3 cup crema (Mexican sour cream)

2 Tbl minced green onion tops

* Chile -Cheese Grits

In a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat add the olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pan.  While the butter melts, season the shrimp with the paprika, salt and cayenne and add them to the pan.  

Sear the shrimp for about 1-1/2 minutes on each side.  You want them a little pink, but not cooked all the way through.  Set the shrimp aside, then add the rest of the butter to the pan.  When the butter melts, add the chorizo and cook until most of the fat renders out of the meat and the sausage is is cripsy.

Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic, shallots, and green onion bottoms and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes to the pan, cook for 1 minute , raise the heat to high, and add the stock.  Leave it boiling until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add the crema to the pan and stir it in.  Then put the shrimp back in the pan and stir the until they're coated with sauce.  Cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add the green onion tops to the shrimp and stir, then serve "the whole shebang" over *Chile-Cheese Grits.

** I took a shortcut in the grits department.  I wanted to make Emeril's version, really I did. However, I didn't have all the ingredients, nor the time and patience.  I did however, make the Quick Cheese Grits from my pantry's Quaker Quick 5-Minute Grits container and just added a 4 ounce can of diced green chiles to it.  I'm sure Emeril and Sammy would approve my compromise, don't you think?

Two Years Ago: Turkey Panini

Three Years Ago: Wassail

Four Years Ago: Apple Pie Martini

Five Years Ago: Juicy Apple Popovers