GF Cajun Shrimp & Polenta

One of the things about going gluten free that really bothered me was the idea of not being able to eat some of my favorite foods. That may sound ridiculous, but like I said - I'm quite the foodie over here. Sometimes I think the term "foodie" is just a nice way of saying fatty but hey! Lets go with it! 

I can't tell you how relieved and thrilled I was that Shrimp and Grits, a southern staple, was still on the list of dishes I could have! And without any sacrifices! Yay! And if you're wondering, grits vs polenta? What's the difference? Hardly any taste wise - but I like to use polenta because it's been easier for me to avoid being glutenized. 

Now this recipe is geared more towards people who like spicy food... aka me! But it's very simple to just adjust it to milder (and more normal) tastes! Simply take out the roasted jalapenos and reduce (or completely nix) the cayenne pepper! 

GF Cajun Shrimp & Polenta

Polenta:

2 ½ cup Chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp heavy cream

1 cup polenta*

Salt

Pepper

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

10 slices of bacon

5 jalapenos

4 tomatoes.

*I prefer Bob's Red Mill Polenta Corn Grits

Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Do a rough chop on the jalapenos and tomatoes and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Bring the broth, 2 ½ cups water, butter, and salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta – be careful, it pops! Continue to whisk for about 3 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until it is thick, make sure to stir it often with a rubber spatula. Mix in the pepper, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. Keep stirring often for another 10 minutes.  

In the meantime cook the bacon, I like it to be crispy so you can chop it up and later put on your polenta.

Shrimp:

1 ¼ pounds medium shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails intact

2 tbsp butter

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1tbsp Cayenne Pepper (very spicy – use less if need be)

Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges for serving

Dash of Tabasco sauce

2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, and cayenne – cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tbsp water, the lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce & season with salt and pepper.

To finish, mix in the roasted jalapenos and tomatoes with the polenta. Divide the polenta into serving bowls. Top with shrimp and sauce. Then sprinkle with the bacon pieces! Voila!