RC's Special Grits

[Katchoolik]

Here is a little recipe form R.C Andrews, the man lives in GA, so it's gotta be a good
recipe. Give it a try.

cup heavy cream
can (1 2/3 cups) chicken broth
cup water
4 tbls butter
salt & pepper
cup raw grits (not quick grits) follow directions on bag
4 oz havarti cheese, shredded or cut in small pieces (shredded speeds up the process of melting)

bring cream, broth and water to a boil. add butter, salt, and pepper. slowly whisk in grits and reduce heat. cook 15 to 20 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently, until you get the the grit to the point you like. like rice and pasta there are verying degrees of tenderness but grits shouldn't be el' dante imho

serve with grilled shrimp, seared scallops or lamb chops. especially with the lamb, even if all ya do is sear it with salt & pepper n finish it it the oven. but no mint!!!

[Rob]

hey man im workin on uploadin my salmon fajitas recipe. then i'll do a classic cajun catfish dish too *)

[Katchoolik]

yes, do that.... the more recipe, the better...
food is art too

[Rob]

Salmon Fajitas
12-16 ounce salmon fillet, de-boned & Skinned, cut into 1-inch-think strips
1 cup diced fresh pineapple (do not use can pineapple it will add other elements/flavoring to the fish you don’t want mainly the syrup)
6 6-inch- flour tortillas
3 cups grated jalepeno cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Olive oil for coating skillet (4 – 5 TBL should do it)
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly slice
1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly slice
1/2 bermuda onion, thinly sliced
Fresh lime wedges
Sour Cream
Pico Degallo

Fish Preparation
Combine fish and pineapple in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Marinate 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Tortillia Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange tortillas on heavy large baking sheet. Top with cheese and cilantro, dividing equally. Bake until cheese melts, about 8 minutes. Transfer tortillas to plates.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add peppers and onion; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 - 7 minutes. I like mine with some snap to them gives the dish some much needed texture

Add fish mixture to the peppers and sauté until just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Spoon mixture onto tortillas, equally dividing the mixture between the 6 shells. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

Pico Digallo
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (remember there’s another 1/2 cup used already in above preparation)
2 TBL fresh lime juice
2 medium jalapeño chilies seeded & minced
1 garlic clove, pasted/smashed. This is done with the heal of your chef knife laid flat against the cutting board holding the tip with one hand and working the handle with the other hand

Preparing the pico digallo
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Side Notes
If you wanted you could do this more buffet style and let people or guests build their own and have the fish mixture out in a bowl along with everything else letting people put the dish together too. I have found this works.

You could also grill the salmon but remember to put the flesh side down first not the side that the skin was attached to. And you could do grilled tortillas as well but at some point you need to get the cheese melted.

[Katchoolik]

nice, man, I will definitely give this a try soon.... got any pictures of the dish???
thanks for posting this one... keep them coming.

Cheers
J.K

[Rob]

Blackened Catfish

2 tsp Hungarian paprika
(Hungary produces pungent and sweet Paprikas. Originally all Hungarian Paprika was aromatic and quite hot whatever floats your boat use)
1/2 tsp dried orégano, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 catfish fillets (skinned & boned) they can be bought this way. If you have ot do this yourself Google “cleaning catfish”
large garlic clove, sliced thin
tbl olive oil
tbl unsalted butter
lemon wedges for garnish

Preparation for Catfish
In a small bowl combine the paprika, the orégano, the thyme, the cayenne, the sugar, the salt, and the black pepper.

Pat catfish dry, and sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the fillet, coating them well.

In a large cast iron skillet sauté the garlic in the oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden brown and discard the garlic.

Add the butter, heat it until the foam subsides, and in the fat sauté the catfish for 4 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked through. Be careful not to spatter yourself when placing the fillets in the fat/butter.

Transfer the catfish fillets with a slotted spatula to a plate and serve with lemon wedges.

Side Notes: You can buy store bought ready made blackening season but then you are stuck with heat intensity and flavoring where as making your own you can adjust those elements.

Fried okra or fried green tomatoes works well with this dish. As a starch serve Dirty Rice or twice baked potatoes.

I'll try and post a side dish recipe soon.

Peace and enjoy!

[Katchoolik]

yeah, that sounds great.... can't wait to try this one.

[Rob]

Sautéed Brussell Sprouts with Pistachio Nuts and Jasmine Rice

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
12 large brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored and split. Do not separate the leaves from the core. Some will fall off but try to leave them as whole as possible.
3/4 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios
1 large ripe Red Bell Pepper, cored, cleaned and julienned. (These will be added last and only slightly sautéed)
Lemon zest

preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir 20 seconds. Add pistachios. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add Brussell sprout leaves and whole pieces, sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Half way through cooking the sprouts add the red bell pepper strips.

Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Transfer to center of Jasmine Rice ring. Just like tossing caution to the wind spread lemon zest over the entire plate.

Jasmine Rice

1 cup Jasmine Rice
1 3/4 chicken stock. (Vegans can use water but it will taste flat)
Tsp unsalted butter (Vegans can use water extra virgin olive oil but when you want real flavor use fat baby)

Preparation

Bring liquid to a boil add rice kernels. Stir constantly for one minute. Cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes. After 5 minutes give the rice a light fluff. I like my rice a bit crunchy so cooking times will vary depending on how over cooked you like your rice *)

On a plate simply spoon out a ring of rice onto a round plate, spooning the Brussell sprout mixture into the center.

[Notes]
You can add chopped chives to the entire dish after its been plated. Also try to only toss the mixture a few times as to not bust up the whole pieces of Brussell sprouts. In addition you can also de-glaze the pan with a touch of Chablis, just remember to reduce the liquid down by half. Probably take another minute or so of cooking, so adjust your cooking times with the other ingredients as to no over cook them.

The idea is to not over cook the nuts or sprouts but still turn the shallots. Remember the more you cook the sprouts the more they will loose their nutty flavor. You could roast the nuts and add them right before you fold the mixture in the pan for the first time but the other idea of this dish is for it to be quick and easy so there's that too.

This dish without the rice goes really well with lamb chops. But works as a vegetarian entree'. This is how the wife likes it as she is not big on lamb.

Peace and enjoy,
Rob