shrimp “puttanesca” w/ creamy polenta

Polenta makes a great side dish for just about everything: fish, steak, chicken, pork, shellfish, and it’s definitely my go-to comfort food when I’m in a hurry. Here I serve the polenta with a saucy, brothy take on a shrimp “puttanesca”

Shrimp “Puttanesca” w/ Creamy Polenta

2 cups polenta
~5 cup chicken or vegetable broth
~1 cup half and half or heavy cream

• Rather than adding butter or cheese to my polenta, I like adding cream or half n’ half, which adds a great richness

shrimp

• I normally always have frozen shrimp in my freezer, and I just thaw what I think I’ll need. Also, because the shrimp are part of the sauce and not the star, feel free to use small shrimp

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp capers
1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped (or other pitted olives)
1 cup artichoke hearts

• they normally come halved or quartered, you just want their size to kind of match the size of the other ingredients in the sauce

1 can sardines, rough chopped

• Rather than the traditional anchovies normally in puttanesca, I used sardines, which still add a slight “fishyness” but are a little subtler and not as salty. I used sardines I bought at an Asian store so they had a little soy sauce mixed in, too, but regular canned sardines work fine

1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

– Bring stock and cream to a boil. Add polenta and bring back to a boil while whisking
– Once polenta comes to a boil, turn heat down to medium-low, season with salt and pepper, and continue to stir regularly so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

– Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and once the oil starts to smoke add the shrimp
– Cook shrimp till begins to turn pink and then add the garlic. Cook shrimp a little under and remove from the pan and set aside; try to keep the garlic in the pan
– Deglaze pan with white wine, and add remaining ingredients-diced tomatoes with juice, broth, olives, capers, artichoke hearts, and sardines
– Heat ingredients through and adjust seasonings. Allow sauce to simmer for 10 minutes so flavors can meld. Return shrimp and any juice back to the pan just before serving

herbed quinoa, pan-roasted halibut

 

Qunioa is one of those grains that have have become very popular lately because of it’s health benefits: it’s gluten free, high in fiber and protein (it’s actually a complete protein), and cholesterol-free, but it also has a great texture and taste, and can soak up other flavors quite well. Here I mix cooked quinoa with a herb “sauce” and serve it with some sauteed asparagus and pan- roasted halibut

Herbed Quinoa
This quinoa would also go great with other proteins such as chicken, fish, or steak, or just mix it with some tomatoes, cucumbers and feta for a take on a tabboulleh salad

4 cups cooked quinoa (about 2 cups uncooked)
1 bunch curly parley, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper
~1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (optional)

• I just like the butter because it adds richness to the mouthfeel, but you can easily leave it out. If you’re mixing the quinoa into a cold salad, I would leave it out

– Combine herbs, garlic, lemon juice, chicken broth, and soy sauce in a food processor. Pulse till evenly mixed
– With food processor running, drizzle in olive oil and melted butter, scraping down the sides every so often, so it forms a smooth consistency. You want the texture to be quite loose- somewhere between a pesto and vinaigrette
– Season liberally with salt and pepper, as this is the only seasoning the quinoa will have on it
– If the quinoa is cold, re-heat before mixing the sauce onto it, otherwise the butter may solidify. Mix to coat quinoa evenly and serve

Pan Roasted Halibut with Brown-Butter Caper Pan Sauce(4 servings)
This sauce goes well with pretty much any white fish: rock fish, cod, halibut, swordfish..so just choose whatever looks freshest at the market

~2 lbs fish, or 4 fillets
1/4 cup butter
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup white wine
chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp capers
olives (optional)

• Chopped up olives go great in this simple pan sauce if you have some on hand. I like using green castelvetrano olives if I have them, because they have a nice meaty texture and buttery taste and aren’t too briny

salt and pepper

– Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish as you normally would, but remove it from the pan a few minutes before it is done and set aside
– Add butter and smashed garlic to the pan and cook until butter is browned. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan and add wine to deglaze
– If the wine immediately evaporates add enough stock to form a sauce. Add in capers and chopped olives and adjust seasoning if necessary
-Return fish and any juices to the pan cook fish for another 2-3 minutes to finish them off before serving. Spoon sauce over fish