Recipes: Andouille Shrimp and Grits

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Serves 4.

For the grits:

1 cup grits (not instant)

1 ½ cups white cheddar cheese

½ cup heavy cream

Salt and black pepper to taste

For the shrimp:

1 pinch saffron threads

4 ounces Andouille sausage cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

Olive oil, for pan (if needed)

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound butternut squash, cut into cubes (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon paprika

For the topping:

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Chopped scallions

Bring 2 ½ cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Stir in white cheddar cheese and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

For the shrimp topping, soak saffron threads in 1 tablespoon warm water; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until crispy, about 10 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Return skillet to medium-high heat. If skillet seems dry, add a splash of olive oil. Cook shrimp until just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage. Add squash to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cooked sausage and shrimp, along with saffron mixture and paprika. Cook until liquid is thickened and shrimp is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon warm grits into bowls. Top with shrimp mixture, crumbled goat cheese and chopped scallions.

Source: Adapted from Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Frittata Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers and More! by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth (Quirk, 2013)

Vegetarian recipe: HALOUMI WITH EGGPLANT & CHICKPEA SALAD & GREEN OLIVE & PARSLEY SAUCE

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Serves 4

Green olive & parsley sauce:

1/2 cup pitted green olives

1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 

Puree the olives and parsley in a small food processor, then with the motor running, slowly pour in the grapeseed oil until you have a smooth sauce. Add the vinegar and process to combine. Set aside. 

For the haloumi:        

grapeseed oil for frying

1 large egplant, cut into 3cm cubes

4 tablespoons liquid honey

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1/3 cup golden sultanas, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drained

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

400g haloumi, cut into 1cm-thick slices

METHOD:

1. Heat 1/2cm oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then add the eggplant cubes and fry evenly on all sides for 10 minutes or until browned and tender.

2. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put in a colander to drain. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then combine the honey and vinegar and mix with the eggplant while it is still warm.

3. Add a further 1 tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, then fry the garlic and cumin seeds until they are popping and coloured. Add the chickpeas, sultanas and paprika and continue frying until the chickpeas are coated and have some colour. Remove from the heat and mix with the eggplant.

4. Increase the heat and in the same pan, with no extra oil, fry the haloumi slices for 2 minutes each side or until lightly browned. Top the eggplant and chickpea salad with the haloumi and drizzle with the green olive sauce.

Recipes: How to make Kashmiri Dum Aloo

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Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Serves 4

Ingredients
800 gms baby potatoes
8 cloves (laung)
1 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
½ tsp hing (asafoetida) dissolved in 2 tbsp water
2 tsp dry ginger powder
2 tsp mango powder (amchoor)
4 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp powdered dry fruits (almond, cashew and pistachio)
4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 black cardamoms (badi elaichi)
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
* Pressure cook potatoes with 2 cups of water till one whistle. Put under running water and cool the potatoes
* Peel and prick the potatoes all over with a toothpick or fork.
* Heat oil and shallow-fry potatoes in a pan until golden brown in colour. Set aside
* Heat 4 tbsp oil in a kadhai; add cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon. Sauté for a few minutes on medium-high flame.
* Add hing water (be careful as the oil will sputter when you add water; reduce flame and cover the wok until sputtering ends)
* Add red chilli powder. Sauté for a minute. Add 2 cups of water.
* Add all other ingredients. Sauté for a minute
* Add fried potatoes to the gravy.
* Cover and simmer till the gravy thickens and oil floats on top.
* Break one potato. The colour of chillies must penetrate the centre. If not add some more water and simmer.