SHRIMP AND POLENTA RECIPE

Here is a surprise dinner 2nd Man made for us recently.  It's his twist on a traditional Southern US dish, 'shrimp and grits'.  

This is shrimp and polenta.

Shrimp and Polenta

The recipe is pretty simple, cooking the shrimp/bacon in one pan and the polenta in the other. and then putting them together.  The dish was already done when I got home so no step by step photos.  But I know if I just posted the pic, everyone would ask for the recipe, ha. 

Ingredients:

Shrimp/Bacon portion:

1 lb large shrimp, deveined and fully peeled (no tails).

1/2 lb bacon

1 tsp red pepper flakes

black pepper to taste

Polenta portion: (his recipe has always used grams/liters, it's Italian)

250 grams polenta

1 liter of chicken broth

1/2 liter whole milk

1 tsp onion powder

1tsp garlic powder

salt/pepper to taste

1/4 cup butter

1 cup shredded cheese (we used a cheddar blend)

First, he cooked some bacon, about 1/2 pound, in a skillet over medium high heat.  He removed it from the pan and crumbled it up, setting aside. 

Next, he pan roasted 1 lb of large shrimp in about 2 or 3 TBSP of the bacon drippings.  He added pepper (no salt needed because of bacon) and 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional).  The shrimp cook quickly, don't overcook!  Set aside.

In a separate pan, he made a batch of polenta. Combine milk and chicken broth in saucepan over medium heat, add seasonings and bring to a slow boil.

Slowly whisk in polenta, stirring until polenta begins to absorb liquid and starts to thicken.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer about 15 to 20 minutes.  It should be thickened at this point, remove from heat, add butter, stir until melted and then add cheese and stir again until melted and incorporated.

Put polenta in a dish, add shrimp to top along with the crumbled bacon, and sprinkle with some dried parsley on the top.

Serve and enjoy!