A Southern Renaissance – Shrimp & Grits “da Vinci” Style

Sweet and crimson. Gently curved. Such smoothness against my lips. My chin was wet as I took a taste. Being my first time this was simply too good. I felt excited and guilty all at once. An exploration of pleasure, I savored every moment. But considering where I was this really should have been forbidden. I never had tasted shrimp like this before.

Sitting along the silken white beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama in the Deep South it was hot outside as I overlooked the white capped Gulf of Mexico. I took another bite. A mouthful of red and white ecstasy. Believe me when I say that everyone was doing it and no one was talking. I was in the heart of Dixie eating one of the locals best kept secrets. Royal Reds. Deepwater shrimp caught about 40 miles offshore at a depth of 2500 feet. To catch these amazing creatures is as much an art as it is a science. Harvesting them is much more dangerous and difficult than other species and contributes to the occasional limited availability of these stunningly delicious crustaceans.

Although satiated, I couldn’t stop thinking about this indulgence. I sought out and found one of my favorite southern dishes when I got back to Montgomery, Alabama while on business in the state capital. Montgomery has a genteel, sometimes tortured and certainly evolutionary history regarding civil rights in this country. But it has moved beyond that chapter and stands proudly as a quaint and quiet state capitol wrapped around southern hospitality that is welcoming and friendly. At the Renaissance Hotel, a representation of big hotel attitude with a decidedly southern twist, I ordered shrimp and cheese grits in the main dining room. True “Low Country” food that was gussied up. And it didn’t disappoint me. Sautéed Royal Reds. A little crispy bacon. A touch of cream. A discreet hint of unadulterated spice served up right in the Bible belt. This wasn’t a light dish, but I must say I was pleasantly enlightened by it.

Centuries before the civil rights movement Leonardo da Vinci had painted the Mona Lisa for Tuscan royalty. He is now considered to be a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance. A truly gifted and evolved being, the term “genius” only partially represents his profound influence on Western culture in art, science and thinking. Although best known for his paintings, he was much more than an artist. He was also a scientist and an inventor. His risk taking for trying new things was well known and appreciated by the Italian aristocracy. I got to see some of Leonardo’s work in action at a worldwide traveling exhibition hosted by the Metreon in San Francisco last year. The exhibit showed working replicas of not only some of Leonardo’s revolutionary inventions such as suspension bridges that could be built without cables, but also the first submarine and the concept of a helicopter. Leonardo had a keen sense for looking at a problem and not allowing current methods and ways of doing things from stopping innovation. He wasn’t just an inventor, a scientist or an artist…In a matter of speaking he was a chef.

I really enjoy Southern cooking but I am always looking at new ways of innovating old favorites. I wanted to update my very personal experience with shrimp and grits into something with Southern and Italian Renaissance appeal. And Leonardo’s Italian roots provided me exactly what I needed.

I used a good quality Hawaiian Pink Shrimp for this recipe. Although I didn’t use Royal Reds here they are worth trying in this recipe, or just by themselves. You can buy them mail order from several gulf based purveyors including http://www.joepattis.com/. Not well known outside of Alabama and Florida, if you are in this part of the country they are absolutely worth trying.

Rather than using bacon I substituted pancetta for this dish and it definitely makes this an Italian invention. I also created a light sauce cooking down some garden grown Italian Roma tomatoes and adding flour to make a roux base, complemented with shrimp stock I made from the shells. It’s very easy to make a simple and subtle stock of water and shrimp shells and let that cook down for 40 minutes while you prepare everything else.

I don’t really believe in all the hysteria of not allowing the use of cheese with seafood. While I understand and appreciate the competing flavor profile against more delicate seafood I used sweeter and milder cheese elements including creamy mascarpone and a touch of fontina. I think I win the argument for this specific preparation.

And finally, while I laugh at and love the South’s aversion to vegetables unless they are fried I feel that the inclusion of cremini mushrooms, which are simply small portobellos, add a fun earthiness and texture that complement the overall dish.

I was stuck writing this post, as I have wanted to do this one for a while now. Fortunately my lovely and insightful wife Jennifer provided me some needed momentum to make the Italian connection. And one of my absolute favorite food bloggers, Claudia over at Cook eat FRET, shared some "twisted" southern inspiration from her adopted hometown of Nashville, TN to help me along as well.

Although Leonardo would probably not actually have eaten this dish, he was a noted vegetarian after all, I would gladly have this dish as my Last Supper…



Recipe for Shrimp & Grits “da Vinci” Style
Serves 2

12 good quality shrimp (with shells if you are making stock)
2 oz pancetta, chopped into ½” pieces
10 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

For the Polenta
1 cup polenta
1 cup milk
2 cups water
Salt
4 oz Mascarpone
1 oz Fontina
4 T Parmesan
¼ cup cream

For the Shrimp and Gravy
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 Italian Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 TBSP flour
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
¼ to ½ cup shrimp stock (recipe below, or use fish stock from your grocer)
Pinch of red chile pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian Parsley, chopped for garnish
Lemon Zest for garnish

Method
Turn the oven on to 250 degrees. Wash the shrimp and shell them. Dry the shrimp and refrigerate. In a saucepan add one cup of water and bring to a low boil. Add the shrimp shells and let cook down for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the stock and set aside. You should have about ½ cup of stock.

While the stock is cooking heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Drain pancetta on a paper towel and reserve the pan and drippings.

Using a 3 quart saucepan, place on a medium high flame and add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk. When the liquid boils turn the heat down to medium and slowly whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Stir constantly. This should take about 1-2 minutes but it is worth it. Do not add the polenta all it once or it will become lumpy and the end product will not have a smooth and delicious texture Leonardo would approve of. Lower the flame to low-medium. You want a slight bubbling of the polenta mixture, more than a simmer, less than a boil. Stir every so often (but not constantly) so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. If the mixture starts to get too thick, turn the heat down and add some milk. Cook and stir for 25 minutes.

While the polenta is cooking prepare the mushrooms. In another sauté pan over medium high heat add 2 T olive oil. When hot add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to make sure all sides get cooked and slightly caramelized. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat and place in a warm oven along with two plates you will use for serving.

Re-heat the saucepan with pancetta drippings over a medium high flame. Salt and pepper the shrimp lightly and add to the pan. Cook for 90 seconds on each side so it is slightly caramelized. Remove shrimp from the pan and place on a plate. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to one minute until softened. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook over high heat for 2 minutes until they begin to break down. Lower the heat and add the flour. Cook for about 1 minute. This will create a reddish blond roux (that’s a sauce base, not the name of a New Orleans hair dresser). Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup of shrimp stock. Cook gently for about 1-2 minutes until combined and slightly thickened. If too thick, add more stock. Strain the sauce and add back into the saucepan. Add a pinch of the chile flakes to the sauce and then add the shrimp back into the pan. Turn off the heat.

Add the cheese and cream to the polenta and mix well. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Mound one cup of cooked polenta on a warm plate and spread it out slightly. Place 6 shrimp and half of the mushrooms over the polenta. Spoon the sauce on top and around the plate. Garnish with chopped parsley and grated lemon zest. Pour a glass of Pinot Grigio with this and I’ll tell you how stunning and smart you look against the backdrop of a Southern Italian sunset...

Rubber Neckin’ Local – Roasted Heirloom Tomato Risotto

I had driven around the area slowly with my head out the window, trying to find my way to the market. I had no idea how I got there, yet there I was at the Marin Farmers Market holding an organic Golden Roma Italian Tomato in my hand. And struggling with an awakening of what to do with my good fortune. Heirloom Tomato Season is in full swing in the Bay Area and this bounty of colorful local produce was being displayed in all its glory. Row after row of foodstuffs brought together from local farmers across Marin County. All part of growing and powerful local food movement driven by rigorously organized and caring citizens like those behind Marin Organic.

My recent move to the San Francisco Bay Area has put me into a pleasantly uncomfortable new world of living, thinking, watching and learning. Just as in any move to a new place, nothing is familiar. I find myself gawking around Marin. New restaurants to discover. Gorgeous organic food to “ogle” at in farmers markets as well as regular supermarkets. Rustic scenery of ancient redwood trees towering above the Pacific Ocean surf. Rubber necking really.

Marin County starts at the north end of the Golden Gate and bridges cutting edge ideas about how to live with others while displaying a “heart on your sleeve” kindness and activism of its local residents. All of that is overlaid upon a naturally beautiful and dramatic setting of passionately worked organic farmland that serves a commitment to growing, selling and feeding its population locally. And in the most sustainable way possible.

The commitment to “local” living here is a true expression that I hope serves as a model for the rest of the country to consider as we all become more aware of the food we eat, how it is grown and where it comes from. This philosophy is embodied in the Slow Food movement that started in Italy by Carlo Petrini and has found its way to the United States. Slow Food is the opposite of "Fast Food" and all that comes with the implications of hurried life. Its logo is a snail. Although Slow Food principles are easy to understand - good, clean and fair food - it’s a lot to take in if you haven’t been exposed to this way of thinking, eating and ultimately living. Prince Charles and Lady Camilla are believers, so you know this idea has legs.

Since moving here I have been surprised by how open locals are to new residents. After being here for all of six days we decided to get involved in the native scene. It turns out this openness is connected to the activism of acting locally. Last Saturday evening we were guests of the gracious and charming editors and managers of Foodbuzz – a rapidly growing on-line community of food lovers. We met up with them at Slow Food Nation, sort of a “coming out” party for Slow Food in the United States which is being championed by legendary Bay Area chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Serving a worldwide audience, Foodbuzz seeks to create an on-line community for those interested in food on a local, national and worldwide level via community generated publishing of recipes, photos, blogs and restaurant reviews. A way of letting a global community act intimately. Looking at what each other has to offer. In a sense, a very local experience made possible through technology.

Slow Food Nation brought together over 60,000 people from across the country to share in the philosophy of “slowing life down”, eating good food, understanding how that food is farmed and appreciating the taste of locally grown and created cuisine. I was fortunate enough to get into the SFN Taste Pavilion. A 60,000 square foot exhibit hall featuring 15 different categories of food presenting local and sustainable approaches to cooking. So many things to see, do and taste. My head spun as I tried to calm down over the excitement of this amazing scene. We traveled around the pavilion tasting artisan chocolates from different parts of the country. Producers from Utah and Massachusetts sampled a chocolate making approach that is closer to making fine wine than large scale production. We stopped by the Native American foods area that featured bison chili. My first try at what is probably the original “free range” food. In a word – delicious.

And still more to discover, look at, taste, and ponder. Cheeses…Wines…Coffee…Seafood…Honey…Our eyes were moving faster than our mouths. Individual tastes that promoted a sincere understanding of flavor via thoughtful farming and well executed, precision cooking. Producers, farmers and chefs all involved to proudly present and talk about their passionate and thoughtful approach to the food they love. And its growing importance to its impact on the planet. This was a cerebral awakening in the most flavorful of journeys.

Back at the Marin County Farmers Market in San Rafael the next day I was looking around at all of this beautiful food. The previous night was still on my mind. Multi colored peppers that looked like a Santorini sunset over the Aegean. Strawberries that tasted of sugar. Freshly harvested chervil and other herbs. Local. Fresh. Sustainably farmed. This is slow food.

I craned my neck and gawked at stand after stand of brightly colored heirloom tomatoes. They were everywhere. I love tomatoes. Sliced raw. Gently cooked as the star ingredient for a fresh sauce. Roasted for intense sweetness. It really doesn’t matter for me as long as the flavor is true. I came across a local producer who had magical Brandywines, Mr. Stripeys, Persimmons, Green Zebras, Cherokee Purples.

And there it was. Standing by itself. Shining. The Golden Roma Italian Tomato. Glorious. Gourgeous. Plump. Delicious. What could I do with this singularly amazing heirloom fruit? The previous evening’s activities still very much on mind, I wanted to do justice to this beautiful tomato. My mind raced. A tomato tart with bouqerones and manchego? Too complicated. Cool Gazpacho? Possible, and a truer flavor platform. But more like a double then a home run.

I slowed myself down and thought “What would an Italian innovator like Carlo Petrini or a food revolutionary like Alice Waters want to eat if I hosted them for dinner and all I had to work with was this tomato and what was in my cupboard?” Let the ingredient speak for itself. I bought a pint of Straus Family Creamery organic cream and drove home.

Although I have never met Mr. Petrini or Ms. Waters, I think they will like this if I ever get to cook for either of them. It only took a worldwide movement to make me slow down and look around a bit for the answer.

Recipe for Roasted Heirloom Tomato Risotto
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
5 Heirloom tomatoes (I used Mr. Stripey, Italian Golden Roma, Brandywine and Abraham Lincoln) Fresh thyme sprigs (4 to 6)
2 T plus 1/4 C Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 C dry white wine
1 C arborio rice
4 C vegetable stock or broth
1/4 C cream
6 T freshly grated parmesean with more for serving
2 T fresh basil, julienned

Method
Heat an oven to 325 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking or ceramic dish and coat with 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with thyme sprigs. Roast for 35 minutes or until the skins begin to wrinkle.

In a saucepan, warm the vegetable broth over a medium low flame.

Heat another saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining 1/4 C of olive oil. Heat until fairly hot and then add the onions, cooking them until translucent 3-4 minutes. Add the arborio rice stirring to coat each grain with the oil, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until evaporated about 1 minute. Add enough vegetable stock to the rice until just covered. Stir occasionally. The rice should cook but not boil. Continue to add stock every few minutes as it cooks off. You want to maintain enough stock to cover the rice until the liquid cooks down slightly and then add more. Continue to stir occasionally. You do not want the rice to stick to the pan. The rice is ready in 16-18 minutes and should be creamy consistency. If cooked properly the rice grains will have a very suitable hardness when you bite it.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste. Chop the roasted heirloom tomatoes directly in the roasting pan or on a cutting board. Stir the chopped tomatoes into the rice.

To serve ladle the rice into a warmed bowl and top with fresh basil and a few shavings of fresh parmesan.