First time we had polenta was on our anniversary lunch. Few months back, we celebrated our first anniversary by taking a Wine Train ride through the vineyard in gorgeous Napa Valley. It was a beautiful bright sunny day. The ride was for about 3 hours and we were served with a delicious four-course meal.
We both enjoy eating different kind of cuisines and trying out new dishes. So, he decided to try the Coriander Breast Chicken with Wild Mushroom Polenta and Avocado sauce for his entree.
As he was trying his first bite of polenta, I was staring at his face hoping the lunch doesn't turn out to be a disaster.
It was a success.. he loved polenta. I immediately registered it in my mind that I have to figure out what this 'Polenta' is and may be.. just may be.. I would make it someday.
Arvind has this super faith in my cooking.. even after eating hard rock cookies, sugarless cake, disaster curry and god knows what not. I know, he is such a sweetheart and motivates me all the time.
I was freaking out while making polenta for the first time and just made sure that we have some food delivery menu handy.. just in case!
Polenta is made from boiled cornmeal which could be either white or yellow. Cooking polenta is not rocket science but there are some serious techniques to follow; like the ratio of water to polenta, stirring occasionally.. not too much or else it will become too sticky.. not too less or it will become hard. You have to serve it warm and re-heating polenta will not taste that good.
I wanted to keep the meal simple and so, decided to cook it with fresh sage to add that peppery flavor. Topped it with some pan fried peas and roasted some shrimp which added a lot of texture to the entire dish.
A simple flavor meal and what can I say.. Pasta is my favorite international dish and Polenta became my second favorite.
The left over shouldn't be heated but you can wrap it in a plastic and refrigerate it for few days. When ever you want to eat, cut it in pieces/slices and pan fry it or even grill it.
Polenta with Crispy Peas and Roasted Shrimp
Ingredients
For the roasted shrimp
- 12 shrimps (remove the head and keep the tail)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- salt
- oil
For the pan fried peas
- 1 cup green peas
- 2 shallots (finely chopped)
- salt
- pepper
- oil
For the polenta
- 1 cup polenta
- 1 tbs finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tbs butter
- ½ cup milk
- 4 cups water or broth (I used 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth)
- ½ cup cheese (I used asiago cheese)
- salt
Instructions
- Start by cooking the polenta which will take about 30 minutes.
- In a deep pan, add water and broth and bring it to a boil.
- Now, with one hand, pour the polenta slowly to the pan and with the other hand, keep whisking. It's extremely important to follow this step else the polenta will form lumps. You could also whisk the polenta in cold water or broth and then, turn on the heat and start whisking.
- Add some salt and bring down the heat to low.
- Cover the pan and let it slow cook for about 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If you think it's getting too thick, add some water and whisk to mix it properly.
- At the end, add the sage, milk and cheese.. give it a mix and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
- In the mean time, we can roast the shrimp and cook the peas.
- In a bowl, mix the shrimp with all the spices, salt and some oil. Let it rest for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes, put them in skewers and roast it at 400F for about 10 to 15 minutes. The time may differ depending on the size of the shrimp.
- Once done, cover them with an aluminum foil to keep it warm.
- For the pan-fried peas, heat some oil in a pan.
- Add the shallots and saute for a while.
- Pour the peas, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Arranging the plate -- Pour the creamy polenta on a plate, add some peas and top it with some roasted shrimp.
- Finally, garnish with some more cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition
nancy at good food matters
beautiful post. Polenta has such versatile preparations, and yours looks simply delicious. I love the pairing with fresh sage leaves. And, your spiced grilled shrimp would be wonderful, even by itself.
Nazneen
The polenta looks gorgeous! So does the shrimp and I am not even a seafood lover. My children enjoy polenta fries with marinara sauce. Has that wonderful popcorn taste with a crisp soft texture. Yum.
Priyanka
Absolutely stunning....
Also thanks for your inspiring words 🙂
lisaiscooking
This dish is so pretty with all the different colors! Cooking for a memory like this is so fun, and your meal turned out perfectly. Great job!
Deepa
This Polenta thing is totally new for me. Your hubby is so sweet...Now I know what motivates u to try out different dishes 🙂 Clicks are eye catching ..
Deepa
leaf (the indolent cook)
I do love a comforting polenta dish. This looks like such a vibrant and tasty meal!
Tina@flourtrader
I really like the ingredient combo in the recipe and those pics are making me very hungry. Well done-Yum!
Kate from Scratch
I was totally sold on this just from the title...then I saw those BEAUTIFUL photos. I'm totally nuts for it! Yum!
Medeja
What a colorful and lovely dish..!
daksha
Hi! kankana What a beautiful, nice & delicious post, thank you for sharing this recipe, I am never had polenta either, so this is new for me and yellow and green colors.. my eye say wow! Super buzzzzzzzeeedddd...
Vimitha
Such a yummy platter... Looks so colorful and tempting...
Sweet Artichoke
Polenta is one of my favourite confort food! I really like your addition of sage in the polenta, a very Italian touch 🙂
Maris (In Good Taste)
I love polenta and this is not only so gorgeous but looks so delicious
Tes
It really beautiful, Kankana! It sounds so fresh and lovely 🙂
elle marie
Oh Sunshine!!!!! This looks tres chic, tres delicious, and tres yum yum!!! I LOVE polenta, this look so inviting, the dish is really all too alluring, I'm licking my pc screen.
Amy @ Hungry Hungry Hippos
This looks awesome! I love polenta when other people cook it but I have yet to make it successfully myself. Maybe I should try this recipe!
Nami @ Just One Cookbook
What a beautiful post Kankana! I love the recipe, styling, photos, everything. Very artistic.
chinmayie @ love food eat
I have never had polenta either!! Shrimp looks fab! perfectly juicy and plump 🙂
Jeno @ Week Nite Meals
Kankana, thank you for sharing this recipe, I am someone who has never had polenta either, so this is pretty eye opening!
Radhika @ foodfor7stages
Polenta has been in my mind for quite a bit. I love your recipe and idea to pair it with shrimp. Have to try this one.