This time of year, I go gaga for polenta. We make it for breakfast, turn it into lasagna but our fav dish is shrimp & polenta grits.
I headed straight to my canning cab to find the base of the dish, salsa I canned over the summer. It has roasted tomatoes, peppers, garlic & onions. All good stuff from my garden & Gorman Farm. The other key ingredient is shrimp-tails. They take the sauce-base and transform it into something straight out of the bayou.
Shrimp & Polenta Grits
Ingredients: For the base
- 1 Jar of homemade salsa OR chop & roast 1 onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 Roma tomatoes & 3 jalapeño peppers
- 4 cups of homemade chicken stock
- 4 andouille sausages, whole
- 1 bay leaf
- 20 jumbo shrimp, cleaned, deveined & tails reserved
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the polenta
- 2 cups of regular polenta
- 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 cups of homemade chicken stock
- 4 tbsp butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 425
- In a medium sauce pot, add salsa (or roasted veg), 4 cups of stock, shrimp tails, sausage, & bay leaf
- Bring them to a low boil then reduce to simmer
- In another pot, add the remaining 6 cups of stock and bring to a boil, reduce To a simmer and slowly whisk in the polenta
- Switch your whisk to a long wooden spoon and stir continuously, after 10 mins or so it will start to thicken and between the 10-20 minute mark it will get creamy
- Add your butter & cheese to the polenta, check for seasoning and add salt if necessary
- When the oven is ready, roast the shrimp, with a little olive oil & s&p for 5-7 mins, then add to the sauce pot to simmer while the polenta comes together
- At the 30 minute mark everything should be done and ready to eat! Plate it up, don't forget some of that yummy sauce & dig in!
Don't fret if you don't use up all of the sauce, SAVE IT! I popped my remaining sauce into a freezer safe container. I have gumbo on my mind and lots of homegrown okra waiting for me in the freezer, this sauce will be a great addition.