# Sweet Corn Polenta and Shrimp



## bauchjw (May 8, 2022)

It’s been pretty hectic around the house and difficult to concentrate. On top of everything the youngest is in the midst of potty training,  which creates its own temper and poop pants challenges. However, when I had a moment yesterday I was able to pick up some “relatively” cheap fresh shrimp and Brussels sprouts at the farmers market and decided to try a mash up of a few recipes for dinner. First up, the sprouts in a bacon, shallot, garlic, white wine sauce:
Wash, cut, drizzle the sprouts with EVOO, S&P, then into the oven pre heated to 400 for about 20-25 minutes:






While sprouts are getting a char, cooked some bacon in a skillet, reserved a few tablespoons of bacon and chopped bacon up, added shallots and chopped garlic until fragrant, then deglazed with 1/4 cup white wine and cup of chicken stock. Cooked until liquid was reduced and absorbed into the “stuff”. Then tossed in the cooked sprouts, GR says they are better the more charred, so I did. Tossed all the bacon goodness in warm skillet with sprouts.









While that was going down, heated 4 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan with a couple cups of frozen sweetcorn until butter is browned around the edges of corn. Then 2 cups of milk and a cup of heavy cream with a couple crushed garlic and fresh thyme sprigs.









Brought to a boil then reduced to a simmer, removed garlic and thyme, and poured in a cup of polenta stirring constantly until thickened….I may have over cooked. Once it could be folded, I grated a bunch of fresh parm and folded it in.





Then the shrimp….heated big slabs of butter in a skillet, put in the fresh shrimp with about a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and a few tablespoons of thyme. Stirred and tossed until almost cooked through, then a handful of chopped basil and squeezed the juice from one lemon to deglaze and stirred with the shrimp. Off the heat.













Plated the polenta topped with the shrimp, sprouts n bacon on the side.













Nice hearty meal for a cold, rainy night here in Virginia. It was delicious, but filling with the light lemon and herbs, with a bit of Cajun heat, from the Shrimp balancing the heavy polenta. The fresh shrimp were incredible! The Brussels sprouts could’ve been their own meal and came out amazing.

My first go at polenta! I think I made it too thick, but not really sure I’ve only seen it on TV!  Tasted good though and I loved the little pops of flavor from corn kernels! Fresh parm brought it up a notch for sure! 

Great meal, not sure why I’ve been into shrimp lately? However,  thanks for your time!


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## Brokenhandle (May 8, 2022)

Looks delicious Jed! Never had polenta either so I'm going with you nailed it lol! Had to be packed full of flavors.  Sprouts look good too!
On a side note, we have a friend that offered to help train our son when he was that age. Not sure if he hires out but his offer was to chase girls, drink beer, and pee outside! 

Ryan


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## sandyut (May 8, 2022)

Great combination of goodness!  Looks super tasty.  thats the kinda meal my wife goes crazy for.  with the exception of grits over polenta, but I dont think they are very different.


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## Ringer (May 8, 2022)

Great job on this cook, Jed. Brussel sprouts are very underrated and yours look perfect. Good cook, wish I had a plate.


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## gmc2003 (May 8, 2022)

Heck I just had grits for the first time a few weeks ago. Now you go and bring polenta into the picture. LOL. It looks real yummy from where I'm sitting Jed.

Point for sure
Chris


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## sawhorseray (May 8, 2022)

Boy howdy Jed, did you ever nail that entire cook, really a fine piece of work! I haven't had polenta since my papa passed away, haven't even thought about the stuff, now I'm going to have to get some. RAY


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## bauchjw (May 8, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Looks delicious Jed! Never had polenta either so I'm going with you nailed it lol! Had to be packed full of flavors.  Sprouts look good too!
> On a side note, we have a friend that offered to help train our son when he was that age. Not sure if he hires out but his offer was to chase girls, drink beer, and pee outside!
> 
> Ryan


Thank you Ryan! It’s pretty tasty. I may like potatoes more, but not sure yet very different flavors, but I do like the polenta a lot! 

I may take that option for my boy! May be easier! 


sandyut said:


> Great combination of goodness!  Looks super tasty.  thats the kinda meal my wife goes crazy for.  with the exception of grits over polenta, but I dont think they are very different.


Thank you Sandy! Yes, cooked it for my wife, she enjoyed it for sure! I’m going to try the grits next! 


Ringer said:


> Great job on this cook, Jed. Brussel sprouts are very underrated and yours look perfect. Good cook, wish I had a plate.


Thank you Ringer! The sprouts are really great. I think it’s my new favorite side! So filling and full of flavor, especially with the bacon


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## JLeonard (May 8, 2022)

Never had polenta either....But I'd be all over that plate!
Jim


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## TNJAKE (May 8, 2022)

Delicious looking job Jed. I'd be all over that. Nice work bud


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## bauchjw (May 8, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> Heck I just had grits for the first time a few weeks ago. Now you go and bring polenta into the picture. LOL. It looks real yummy from where I'm sitting Jed.
> 
> Point for sure
> Chris


Thank you Chris! I think they are pretty similar, but polentas made from yellow corn. I could be wrong and will likely be beaten for it! But it’s my first try at polenta and it’s very good with the savory flavors. Extremely hearty too!


sawhorseray said:


> Boy howdy Jed, did you ever nail that entire cook, really a fine piece of work! I haven't had polenta since my papa passed away, haven't even thought about the stuff, now I'm going to have to get some. RAY


Thank you Ray! It was a fun one to do, wish I’d grown up with polenta! I appreciate it.


JLeonard said:


> Never had polenta either....But I'd be all over that plate!
> Jim


Thank you Jim! You’re welcome anytime!


TNJAKE said:


> Delicious looking job Jed. I'd be all over that. Nice work bud


Thank you Jake! I think I’m going to give it a shot with some pulled pork!


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## Steve H (May 9, 2022)

Looks very good! I've never had it like that before. The couple times I've had it. It was made into a thick slice. Almost like cornbread. And had sautéed shrimp and gravy on top. I can buy it here in brick form. Just slice and fry. I usually just forego it. And make grits. But I'm thinking about your style with corn. Thanks for sharing Jed.


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## tx smoker (May 9, 2022)

WHOA!! Elvis has left the building...and went to Jed's house for dinner    That looks superb Jed and i'm just loving the idea of the polenta and shrimp. Those sprouts though are now a must-do for me. I could easily make a full meal out of those alone, but it'd be really hard to pass up the shrimp. Very well done sir and yet another amazing presentation.

Robert


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## Steve H (May 9, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Those sprouts though are now a must-do for me.


I'll second that! If I didn't have a side already picked for the steaks tonight. I'd be doing that as well.


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## SmokinAl (May 9, 2022)

Looks delicious, Jed!
Any plate with shrimp on it is a favorite around here!
Al


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## bauchjw (May 9, 2022)

Steve H
 and 

 tx smoker

Thank you guys! I appreciate the compliments! Polenta is a whole new thing for me, I had no idea until I started reading up on them that people used them like cornbread. 

Sprouts were the star though, sorry I didn’t include it, but here is the recipe I based off of. I didn’t include the mustard and cooked the bacon a bit before chopping and returning to the pan with shallots. I also took out some of the grease and left a few tablespoons before tossing with the sprouts.

2 lbs. brussels sprouts trimmed and halved
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
3 shallots peeled and chopped
5-6 slices bacon chopped
¼ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
Fresh parsley diced for garnish

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Toss together and roast the sprouts, cut side down, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until nicely browned a little burnt. 

While the sprouts are roasting, cook the shallots and bacon over medium-high heat until the shallots are tender and the bacon has begun to crisp and brown a little, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and the chicken stock and cook until the shallots and bacon have absorbed more than half of the liquid. Add the Dijon mustard and the whole grain Dijon mustard and mix together until combined.

Remove from the heat and mix with the roasted brussels sprouts. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.


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## xray (May 9, 2022)

Delicious looking meal there Jed, I’d absolutely destroy that plate, very nicely done!


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## bauchjw (May 9, 2022)

Steve H said:


> Looks very good! I've never had it like that before. The couple times I've had it. It was made into a thick slice. Almost like cornbread. And had sautéed shrimp and gravy on top. I can buy it here in brick form. Just slice and fry. I usually just forego it. And make grits. But I'm thinking about your style with corn. Thanks for sharing Jed.


Thank you Steve! I was thinking of trying it sliced, but we really did like it “wet”. Seems like the perfect base of a lot of different protein toppings. There was a ton of milk and cream in them!


tx smoker said:


> WHOA!! Elvis has left the building...and went to Jed's house for dinner    That looks superb Jed and i'm just loving the idea of the polenta and shrimp. Those sprouts though are now a must-do for me. I could easily make a full meal out of those alone, but it'd be really hard to pass up the shrimp. Very well done sir and yet another amazing presentation.
> 
> Robert


Thank you Robert! The sprouts are pretty incredible. I’m not sure why I’ve overlooked them for so long! I appreciate your time and compliments! 


SmokinAl said:


> Looks delicious, Jed!
> Any plate with shrimp on it is a favorite around here!
> Al


Thank you Al! I’ve been enjoying the shrimp lately, kind of fun to figure out when they are perfectly done! My wife loves them!


xray said:


> Delicious looking meal there Jed, I’d absolutely destroy that plate, very nicely done!


Thank you Ray! You’re welcome for a plate anytime!


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## atomicsmoke (May 9, 2022)

Nice tasty looking plate.

When you say "add polenta" do you mean cornmeal?


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## BrianGSDTexoma (May 9, 2022)

Wow Jed!  Home run.  That going on the to do list.  Thanks


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## bauchjw (May 9, 2022)

atomicsmoke said:


> Nice tasty looking plate.
> 
> When you say "add polenta" do you mean cornmeal?


Thank you, I’m so armature at polenta I’m not even sure the difference. This is what I used:


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## bauchjw (May 9, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Wow Jed!  Home run.  That going on the to do list.  Thanks


Thank you Brian! I really appreciate it! 
I tried the polenta again tonight, but topped with shrooms. I’m trying to make it a more loose texture, but it seems to absorb all liquids immediately! I used three cups of roiling chicken stock this time instead of 2 cups milk, 1 cup cream, then poured about a cup of cream in after it thickened. I gotta say I liked the chicken stock savory flavor better. Hope it goes well!


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