Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Have you ever eaten cream of wheat, grits, oat bran, oatmeal, steel cut oats? If yes stay with me.

I personally love all of the above and it makes for an absolute comfort food in my book. My day has to start with one of these delicious whole grains or something feels amiss. Now that you all are familiar with my extreme attachment to the grains above, Polenta for me belongs to the same family. The soft, almost saucelike polenta in this recipe is absolutely divine.

If there is a polenta dish on the menu, I have got to order it. Not many have passed my perfect polenta test. On a recent visit to Emmer and Rye, I tried their Polenta, Fermented Mushroom, Fresh Shiitake, Mint and Marigold Spuma. They were pretty darned close to nailing it with the exception of adding too much butter/cream which took away from the flavors of other ingredients but the texture and consistency of the soft Polenta was perfection.

I have made a few different versions over the years but my absolute favorite is this Mario Batali’s variation that I am making today. Another great addition to this recipe would be adding fresh mushrooms. The flavors will work really well together.

RECIPE: Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Cup Quick Cooking Polenta

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

4 Scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp Tomato paste

1/2 Cup Dry White wine

1 1/2 Lb Shelled Shrimp

1/4 Cup Coarsely Chopped flat Leaf Parsley

1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tsp finely grated Lemon Zest

Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil with the sugar. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the polenta and keep warm. This will prevent the top layer of the polenta getting hard.
2.  In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the scallions and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and 1/4 cup of water and simmer over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Rewarm the polenta over moderately high heat, whisking constantly. Spoon a pool of polenta in the center of 8 shallow bowls. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over and around the polenta and serve right away.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the scallions and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. 

Add the wine and 1/4 cup of water and simmer over moderately high heat for 1 minute.

Add the shrimp and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil with the sugar. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. 

Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the polenta and keep warm. This will prevent the top layer of the polenta getting hard.

Hope you enjoy making this recipe with your family,. don't forget to leave me feedback and also tell me more about the kind of things that you would like me to cover. Hope ya"ll have a great day!