Creamy Polenta And Garlic Lemon Shrimp Ragu Food

SHRIMP AND POLENTA

Steps:

• MAKE HERB DRESSING: Finely chop herbs and green onions. Stir together with other dressing ingredients except oil. Slowly whisk in oil. Alternatively (I do this): put all herb dressing ingredients in a processor and pulse to blend well. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• MAKE POLENTA: Follow directions on package. I use 1/2 cup instant Polenta (for 2-3 servings) plus 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. (Typically: boil water and salt. Stir in Polenta slowly, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low. Cook for a minute or two until thickened.) Remove from heat and stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. If too thick, add a bit more water and stir. Polenta should be creamy, smooth and loose. It will thicken more on standing. Cover and keep warm. Note 2 to make regular polenta.
• SAUTE SHRIMP: Rinse and pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Make sure they are dry. Heat oil (or oil-butter combination) in non-stick pan to medium high until sizzling. Add shrimp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, turn over, then saute for another 1-3 minutes, depending on size of shrimp. Don't overcook. They're done when they are just turning opaque (pink or white). TURN OFF HEAT. Add herb dressing and stir to coat.
• SERVE: Rewarm polenta if needed on medium-high heat, adding a bit of water if needed. Stir rapidly until smooth again. Spoon Polenta into bowls or plates. Top with shrimp and serve.

SHRIMP OVER CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• In a medium-size saucepan, heat 2 cups of water.
• When water comes to a low boil, turn off the heat and slowly pour in the polenta and continue to whisk until it is fully incorporated and it's smooth and creamy.
• Then whisk in salt, butter, and both kinds of cheese. Continue to whisk until it's fully combined and creamy. Cover and keep on the stove to keep warm.
• In a medium-size skillet, heat on moderate heat, add the olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute the garlic and pepper flakes for 30 seconds or more to fragrant the oil.
• Toss in the shrimp. Saute the shrimp for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until they turn pink.
• Lower the heat, and add the butter and Dijon mustard.
• Pour in the white wine and stir with a wooden spoon to help deglaze the sauce.
• Immediately following, add in freshly squeezed lemon juice over the shrimps. Add a dash of smoked paprika over the shrimps, and simmer for an additional 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and taste the sauce. Season with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
• Check to see if the polenta is still hot. If you need to, you can reheat on the stove-top for a minute or so. Then transfer the polenta to a serving dish or platter.
• Transfer the shrimps over the creamy polenta and spoon all the remaining sauce over the shrimps and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Serve immediately.
• Serves: 2 to 3 servings

CREAMY POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• For the polenta, bring 4 1/2 cups water and the milk to a high simmer in a medium-size heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add salt. Pour the cornmeal slowly into the liquid, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent clumping. Continue stirring as the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. If the polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep the polenta soft enough to stir.
• Add the butter to pot, and stir well. Add the Parmesan, if using. Taste for seasoning. Set the covered saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water, and keep warm for up to an hour or so.
• Meanwhile, put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, and cover with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, and pat dry, then chop roughly. Reserve the mushroom stock.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan set over high heat until it has melted. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.
• Add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, turning until browned. Add about 1/4 cup of the mushroom stock to deglaze the surface, using a wooden spoon to scrape at the browned bits. Allow the stock to reduce by half, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, whisking to combine, followed by the soy sauce, cream and olive oil. Allow mixture to cook until it thickens a little, then remove from heat. Taste for seasoning, adding black pepper, if desired.
• Put the polenta in a warmed bowl, then top with mushrooms and the sauce. Serve immediately.

ROASTED SHRIMP AND TOMATOES WITH ROASTED GARLIC PARMESAN #RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Cut 1 head cauliflower into florets and spread in one layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 TBSPs of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender and golden brown.
• Transfer cauliflower to food processor and add butter. Process, scraping sides of processor as needed, until cauliflower has the texture of smooth grits or polenta. Add about ½ jar of the Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce and pulse to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• While the cauliflower is roasting, make the polenta. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the butter. While whisking gently, pour the polenta into the boiling water in a steady stream. Turn down the heat to low and continue whisking until the polenta has thickened enough that it doesn't settle back on the bottom of the pan when you stop stirring. Add additional water if polenta gets too thick. Cook polenta for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure polenta doesn't get too thick, adding small amounts of water, if necessary.
• Add the remaining Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce and the prepared cauliflower to the cooked polenta and stir well. Cover and keep warm.
• Next, roast the shrimp and tomatoes. Spread the shrimp on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the tomatoes and the garlic to the baking sheet and drizzle 2 TBSPs of olive oil over all. Season with salt and pepper and toss so that the shrimp and tomatoes are coated with the oil and garlic. Roast at 425 degrees F for 7-8 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and tomatoes are bursting and starting to char. Remove the shrimp and tomatoes from the oven and add the arugula to the pan. Using tongs, toss the arugula with the hot shrimp and tomatoes so that it wilts slightly.
• To serve, spoon some polenta onto a plate or into a shallow bowl. Top with the shrimp and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

SHRIMP & POLENTA ITALIAN BOWL #RAGU

Steps:

• Cut bacon into ¼ inch cubes add to a deep medium non-stick pan sauté on medium high heat until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon place on paper towel to drain excess fat.
• Discard bacon fat from pan reserving 1 tablespoon add shrimp and cilantro to bacon fat and sauté on medium high until shrimp turn pink remove shrimp and set aside to the same pan add Raju sauce stir to pick up the flavors of bacon fat and cilantro reduce heat to medium cover and let it warm up.
• While sauce is warming up in a medium pan over high heat, bring water and salt to a boil, and gradually stir in polenta. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently to prevent sticking until mixture thicken and is creamy add butter and cheese mix until well incorporated.
• To serve add ½ cup sauce to 5 bowls top each with equal amount of polenta, 3 shrimp each and sprinkle with equal amount of cooked bacon you may garnish with additional cilantro serve immediately.

CREAMY POLENTA AND GARLIC LEMON SHRIMP #RAGU

Steps:

• Combine the Ragu Sauce, garlic cloves and ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes, (without draining the oil as you spoon it out of the jar), in the bowl of a food processor and process for several seconds. The mixture won't be completely smooth but the tomato pieces should be very fine and the garlic completely blended inches Reserve until complete with the polenta and shrimp portion of this meal.
• To prepare the polenta: Combine the polenta, stock, water, sage and herbs in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the polenta starts to separate from the sides of the pan, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the butter, parmesan and goat cheeses and cheese two minutes until the butter and cheese have melted and been incorporated into the polenta. Transfer the cooked polenta to four serving dishes.
• To prepare the shrimps: Marinate in lemon juice and salt for a few minutes before cooking. Cook the shrimps in olive oil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until just pink.
• To finish off the sauce: Transfer the sauce mixture to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add a pinch of sugar as you heat the to give the sauce a nice balance.
• Turn off the heat, transfer to a bowl and stir in the olive oil. Spoon the sauce over the warmed, cooked polenta, top with shrimps and garnish with fresh arugula.