Stone Ground Grits

Try these Delta Grind Grits dishes served in Memphis establishments.

Sweet Potato Grits
Café 61, Memphis
This side dish on the Café 61 menu marries two Southern favorites, grits with mashed sweet potatoes! Try them for brunch at home.

1 cup Delta Grind Grits
3 or 4 sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed without skin
2 T cinnamon
2 T molasses
1/4 cup cream
2 cubes butter

Cook 1 cup Delta Grind grits. Boil and mash sweet potatoes. When smooth, add in cinnamon, molasses, cream and butter. Whip sweet potato mixture with cooked grits.

Shrimp Etouffee with Griddled Delta Grind Polenta Cakes
Stella Restaurant, Memphis
This dish is not generally offered on Chef Johnny Kirk’s menu, but if you’re lucky, his sous chef, Duncan Aiken, is serving this popular dish as a lunch special at Stella.

 Polenta:
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 stick butter
2 T salt
1 cup mascarpone cheese
Salt and white pepper, to taste

In a medium-size pan, add milk and water and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta. Cook until a little past al dente. (May need to add more water for desired consistency.) Add mascarpone for creamy texture. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a cake pan and let cool.

Shrimp Etouffee
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve shells)
1 yellow onion
1 fresh jalapeno
1 bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
6 stalks celery
1 T fresh garlic
1 Bay leaf
2 T cumin
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T dried oregano
Roux (recipe follows)
2 quarts shrimp stock (recipe follows)
1 cup wine

In a large stockpot, combine vegetables and sauté until soft. Add one cup of wine to deglaze pan. Add shrimp stock and bring to a boil. Add enough roux for desired thickness (should be thicker than stew). Sauté shrimp. Add sauce to shrimp and bring to a boil to incorporate.

Roux:
2 sticks butter
2 cups flour

Melt butter and add flour. Put in a 325-degree oven. Cook until dark (about the color of an Irish setter).

Shrimp stock:
2 lbs. of shells from raw shrimp
12 peppercorns
3 whole garlic cloves
1/2 yellow onion
2 ribs celery
1 Bay leaf
2 cups white wine
2 oz. tomato paste
3 quarts water

Sauté shells in butter. Add all ingredients and cook (but don’t scorch). Add wine and tomato paste. Reduce until 3 /4 dry. Add water and reduce by 1/ 3. Strain.

To make the dish and assemble: Cut polenta into rounds with a ring mold. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add polenta cakes and brown on each side. Place two cakes in the middle of plate. Pour shrimp etouffee around the polenta. Serve immediately.