Pan-Seared Shrimp w/Romesco Sauce, Creamy Grits, and Greens

I was watching an episode of "America's Worst Cook" the other day on FoodNetwork. Chef Robert Irvine presented this meal for his team to prepare. While I'd heard of Romesco Sauce, I had no idea what it was. It has Spanish roots and includes roasted red peppers (which I love), tomatoes, almonds, and bread. Interesting, I thought. I love shrimp and I love grits and I'm trying my best to make fresh greens, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Let me say first of all, the shrimp, sauce, and grits were wonderful. I'll get to that in a minute. But let me make a plea to anyone who might help me: Is there anyway to cook any kind of greens that don't come out a pile of bitterness? Lord knows I have tried, but I have yet to find a way to cook any kind of greens that are tolerable without loading them down with tons of bacon grease or other fats. I have bought prepared greens that are seasoned wonderfully, but they are also full of fat and sodium. I know that greens are packed with all kinds of nutrition and I would love any help anyone can give me to make them more palatable, while still being healthy. Mr. Irvine's recipe for the greens calls to heat vegetable oil in a pot, add a bunch of mustard greens (thick stems removed) and a pinch of crushed red pepper, cook down, then add about 1/4 cup of chicken stock, simmering until tender. I tried seasoning it up a bit, but the bitterness was more than either of us could handle.

So, for the rest of the dinner (except for the Romesco Sauce, I've cut the recipe to serve 2):

ROMESCO SAUCE

1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 slice rustic white bread, diced into 1/2" cubes (I used 2 slices of a Panera baguette)
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar (I used regular balsamic)
4 Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered (not seeded)
1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt

Grind the almonds in a food processor until finely ground but not pureed. Add the bread, vinegar, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and paprika to the processor and grind together briefly until evenly pureed. With the motor running, add the olive oil slowly until the sauce is thickened. Taste and season with salt.

(NOTE: You will only need a few tablespoons of this for this recipe. Freeze the leftovers and use in place of marinara sauce or to season something like chili.)

GRITS

1 cup chicken broth
S&P
1/2 cup instant grits
2 Tbsp cream or half&half
1/4 cup havarti, grated
1/2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Place a saucepan over high heat with stock, S&P. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the grits, and stir with a whisk. Once the grits come to a simmer, add the cream, again reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the grits just start to thicken, about 8 minutes. Add the cheese to the grits, taste for seasoning, turn the heat off, and allow the cheese to melt into the grits. Stir in the chopped parsley. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Cover and keep warm.

(NOTE: My grits thickened very quickly before the grits were softened. I ended adding a bit more stock and half&half a bit at a time until grits were finished without becoming wallpaper paste. I just kept whisking it in until the consistency was right.)

SHRIMP

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
(I used) six 13/15 count shrimp (you could certainly use any size and amount you prefer)
S&P
2 Tbsp white wine
about 1/4 cup Romesco sauce

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add butter, allow to melt. Season the shrimp with S&P then add to pan. Stir the shrimp while cooking. Cook until bright pink.

Once the shrimp are cooked, add the wine to deglaze the pan, allowing the wine to simmer for 1 minute or until reduced. Turn the heat off and add Romesco sauce, stirring to coat the shrimp.

To plate, spoon the grits onto a plate, top with greens (if you dare!), and top with shrimp and sauce.