(Recipe courtesy of Food Network.com)

Level: Easy, 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ( I quasi-covered the bottom of the skillet with the EVOO)
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound andouille or spicy Italian spicy sausage, cut in chunks
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• Pinch cayenne pepper, adjust to personal preference
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter (if using precooked sausage for liquid to make roux)

 Directions:

Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. ****

Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps.

Toss in the bay leaves.

When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp.

Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick.

Add the cayenne pepper, Tabasco and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion.

Spoon the grits into a serving bowl.

Add the shrimp mixture and mix well.

Serve immediately over grits.

Garnish with red pepper.

**** Zina’s note: Because the sausage was precooked (Dairy aisle at Publix), it didn’t render much fat so I added a little more EVOO and 2 Tbsp of butter to add some liquid to the pan before adding the flour.