We are traveling back to Asheville (North Carolina) after a recent stop at newcomers Curate opened by El Bulli alumni Katie Button.
Today you get southern fare as served at Tupelo Honey Cafe, a staple of the local food scene after a decade.
In Tupelo Honey Cafe (Andrews McMeel), farm-to-fork veteran Chef Brian Sonoskus teamed up with writer Elizabeth Sims to share 125 of his recipes.
You can now recreate their downhome flavors in comfort of your kitchen starting with seafood grits dish below.
Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Shrimp and grits is iconic fare in the Carolina Low Country, where it’s been a favorite on-the-boat breakfast for shrimpers for years. The dish was famously brought to the nation’s attention when New York Times legendary food writer Craig Claiborne, a Mississippi native, had dinner with Chef Bill Neal at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With that prescient and sacred heritage right in our backyard, we take our shrimp and grits very, very seriously. The goat cheese grits is Tupelo Honey’s own signature twist.
2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons olive oil
1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup thinly sliced roasted red bell pepper
2 tablespoons Creole Spice (recipe follows)
¼ cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
3 tablespoons unsalted cold butter
Goat Cheese Basil Grits (recipe follows)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add the shrimp and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the shrimp begins to turn a little pink. Add the bell peppers and Creole spice and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the peppers are heated through. Add the wine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the shrimp turns pink. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan to combine all the liquids. Serve the shrimp over the grits and top with the warm sauce left in the skillet.
Makes 4 servings
+++
Creole Spice:
1 tablespoon sugar
2½ teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
Combine the ingredients and enjoy!
Makes ¼ cup
+++
Goat Cheese Basil Grits:
3 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1¼ cups quick-cooking grits
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream
4 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil, for garnish
In a heavy saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Stir in the grits and butter and bring back to a boil. Add the cream and decrease the heat to low, simmering for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and thick. Remove the pan from the stove and whisk in the goat cheese until melted. Garnish with the basil.
Makes 4 servings
(* Photo and recipe from Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville’s New South Kitchen by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus/ copyright Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011)