One More Reason to Love Cauliflower

It’s everywhere, and in everything and I’m going to give you one more reason to love cauliflower. This shrimp and cauliflower grits will give the traditional recipe made with corn grits some serious competition. If you’ve riced cauliflower then you’re familiar with this method of preparation, but to make a smooth, creamy grits-like iteration you’re going to need to get the florets ground even finer.

I have been craving shrimp and grits for weeks. It seems as if no matter when or what I’m watching, if I have Food Network on, someone is making or eating it. Shrimp and grits, and now this faux version are both stunningly simple to make, and satisfying as dinner can be.

Shrimp and (Cauliflower) Grits

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Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
tabasco (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 scallions (sliced thin on the bias)

Directions

Grits
Step 1
Cut the cauliflower into florets about 3" in diameter.
Step 2
Taking about 1/3 of the cauliflower at a time, pulse in a food processor until it is quite fine- more than you would if you were making cauliflower rice. As you finish each batch, move to a separate bowl. I had a med-large cauliflower which yielded 6 cups
Step 3
In a large, wide pan heat the cream, chicken stock, and salt, adding all the cauliflower at once. The liquid does not need to be boiling. Cook cauliflower for about ten minutes, until it is tender, stirring often.
Step 4
Once cauliflower is tender, turn off the heat, and stir in the cheddar cheese. Mix well, cover and let sit until shrimp is ready
Shrimp
Step 5
Mix shrimp, half the oil, the garlic and paprika together Put the remaining oil into a wide skillet and heat to med-high
Step 6
Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add shrimp and cook, tossing frequently for 3-5 minutes (depending on the size of shrimp) until it is pink and cooked through