Get Cookin': Pesto, Shrimp and Polenta

Corn is so Western Hemisphere. But thanks to Marco Polo and the other intrepid explorers who opened the world’s trade routes, you’ll find corn on menus in Ireland and China. Not to sneer at a tasty wedge of cornbread, steaming corn tortillas, or a bowl of popcorn, but I believe the Italians have done the most with this unpromising raw ingredient. In its natural state, coarse cornmeal has the culinary appeal of gravel. In fact, before milling techniques were perfected, insufficiently ground, razor-sharp shards of corn could inflict serious gastric damage. Yet the fearless Venetians and Tuscans managed to turn those rock-hard kernels into lush, creamy polenta.

An amazingly versatile dish, hot polenta, which has a pudding-like consistency, can be served mashed-potato style with gravies, sauces, and other toppings. Alternatively, chill it until firm, cut into slices, and grill briefly for a lean, fiber-rich change from bread or pasta. Today it completes a menu brimming with the bounty of spring—fresh asparagus, a bright cilantro and tangerine pesto coating, and fresh shrimp.

Quick Tip

Swish the cilantro in a bowl of cold water with a tablespoon of white vinegar to remove the grit. Rinse again in plain cold water and dry in a salad spinner.

Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto
If you have ever made traditional pesto, you know how fat intensive it is, with cups of pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil. Yet, believe it or not, you can lighten it using a page from a French cookbook. Based on rouille, the pimiento-based sauce that tops fish soups, thicken this pesto with fine breadcrumbs instead of nuts, then replace most of the oil with the juice of fresh honey tangerines. These winter favorites remain on the market well into spring in most areas, but if you can’t find honey or other types of tangerine, you can substitute fresh orange juice. Avoid competing flavors when you prepare the shrimp. Simply grill them, simmer them in a commercial shrimp boil, or stick them under the broiler and turn once or twice until they are pink. Note that the pesto does not form a true emulsion, and you may need to stir gently before serving.

A Word About Cooking Shrimp

Or are they prawns? The distinction seems to be as much regional as anatomical, and has a lot to do with which side of the Atlantic you live. The English prefer prawns. Whatever you call them, serve them cleaned. Peel off the shells and run a sharp knife along the outside edge just deep enough to break the skin. Depending upon when they were caught in their digestive cycle, inside you may find the alimentary canal, a thick, black vein filled with sand and other nose-wrinkling grit. Count yourself lucky if you don’t see it, otherwise pull it loose and discard, then rinse the shrimp. This incision also “butterflies” the shrimp. Cook this tender shellfish briefly, just until it turns pink, or it will become rubbery. Always add shellfish last to any dish requiring long cooking, such as curries, fish stews, or pasta sauces.

1 bunch cilantro, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup firmly pressed
1/2 green onion, white part only
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon concentrated tangerine concentrate or orange/tangerine concentrate
1/2 cup tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon berry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound shrimp, peeled, and deveined

Place the cilantro in a blender jar and add the onion. Turn on high speed and drizzle in the oil until you have a coarse paste.
Add the breadcrumbs, juice concentrate, and tangerine juice and puree on high speed. Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, puree until smooth. You can make this several hours ahead, if you like, cover and refrigerate until serving time. Because chilling can blunt delicate flavors, let it sit out to come closer to room temperature before serving.

Broil, grill, or boil the shrimp as desired. Serve with the pesto.

(Serves 4)

Health Note

Though shrimp has a reputation as a high-cholesterol food, it is still extremely lean and has all the benefits of other fish. It’s so low in harmful saturated fat that it won’t raise your bad cholesterol level very much.

Roasted Asparagus and Red Peppers
You have your fussy asparagus, oozing complicated butter sauces like Hollandaise. You have your minimalist asparagus, steamed with a squeeze of lemon. And then you have your best asparagus, oven-roasted in high heat with peppers and garlic. It couldn’t be simpler, or more delicious. To assure the vegetables cook quickly, choose thin stalks of asparagus, and slice the pepper in matchstick strips. Snap off the ends of the asparagus and run a vegetable peeler down the bottom half to remove the tough outer skin.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F

1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and peeled as necessary
1 red pepper, sliced thin
Salt and pepper

Place the garlic in a small measuring cup and add the oil. Set aside while you peel and slice the asparagus and peppers.

Arrange the vegetables in an ovenproof skillet that can withstand 500-degree heat. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil and crimp the edges to hold the vegetables in one layer. Add the oil and garlic and toss gently until thoroughly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. Exact time will depend on thickness of stalks and the heat-conducting properties of your skillet. Discard the garlic and serve hot.

(Serves 4)

Grilled Polenta
“Darlin, don’t make your hands do what your oven does better.” That’s how a Texas friend taught me to make polenta, or cornmeal mush as he called it. He saw me stirring, stirring, stirring, and worrying it like a mother hen: 45 minutes of muscle-aching work to prevent lumps. Randy just dumped water and cornmeal into a cast-iron skillet, stuck it in a 350-degree oven, and ignored it. Forty minutes later the polenta was soft, creamy, and exquisitely lump-free. I prefer to use nonfat milk for added richness (and cook it in a heavy-bottomed skillet, such as the almost perfect All-Clad, but you can use water or low-fat chicken broth. Use less liquid for a firmer polenta or slightly more for a very creamy consistency. Spoon into bowls and top with grilled onions or vegetables, or make ahead, with a garnish of cheese to serve instead of bread.

1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
5 cups nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 half ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Healthy Pantry

Polenta, or ground corn, comes in fine, medium, and coarse grades, depending on the dish’s desired texture. Medium works best in most dishes, but avoid instant polenta, which is particularly flavorless. Cornmeal is the domestically grown and ground product, and yellow cornmeal has more flavor than white. The grains become stale, so seal opened packages with plastic wrap or foil or freeze in containers. If you have an open box in your cupboard and can’t recall how old it is, toss it.

In a heavy, ovenproof skillet (nonstick works very well), add the polenta and lightly stir in the milk. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Stir very gently (don’t worry if it doesn’t look like it is thickening yet), add 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes or until the polenta is smooth and creamy.

Spread it on a piece of foil, crimping the edges to make a square or oblong shape. Chill for at least an hour and up to 24 hours. Cut into slices, sprinkle with the cheese, and broil or grill until warmed through and the cheese has melted.

(Makes 8 slices, serving size 2 slices)