Instructions

Bring a quart of water to a simmer. Add the grits and cook, stirring often, for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through. If you need some more liquid, just add a 1/4 cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency for your grits. Stir in the butter and parmesan, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to stay warm.

Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the head and tail on. You want the flavor of the head and the tail in the sauce.

Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, until rendered and crispy. Add the thyme, garlic, shallots and scallions. Sauté for a few minutes until the shallots turn glassy, then add the shrimp, butter and parsley to the pan.

Cook slowly over low heat until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp. Add the wine and Worcestershire and cook for a minute or so, adding butter if need be—it depends on how much saucy goodness you have in the pan after cooking the wine off, which will happen quickly. Season with sea salt.

In another cast iron skillet, cook the mushrooms. Melt the butter over high heat, then add the mushrooms and rosemary. Allow the mushrooms to hard sear on one side before stirring. Don’t let the pan get dry, you can always add more butter. At the last minute, when they are nice and roasty toasty, add the sherry and lemon juice and pull from heat, set aside. The liquids will evaporate while the mushrooms are resting in a warm place.

Spoon about a cup or so of grits into a shallow bowl, spoon some mushrooms on one side and some shrimp on the other and serve…hot sauce on the side is optional, but recommended!