whatwecookedlastweek

December 9 – December 15, 2024

Monday:                              Leftover Ragù Cilentano, Crostini, Salad

Tuesday:                              Wedge Salad with Bacon

Wednesday:                      Bratwurst with fennel olives and oranges

Thursday:                            Turkey Chili with fixins’ and Frito’s Corn Chips

Friday:                                  Creamy Polenta with Zucchini and Shrimp

Saturday:                            Pizza ai Quattro Salumi

Sunday:                               Ragù Cilentano with the Tim and Ann

Mongrel Food

The recipe we’re sharing this week (from two weeks ago)– Creamy Polenta with Zucchini and Shrimp – is of Italian provenance but could not have been cooked anywhere outside of Central America for most of history.  Italian cooking is great, vegetables like zucchini and corn are good for you, and who in the name of heaven doesn’t like shrimp?  But this kind of international mash up, which you can find all over the world today, was not possible before Columbus opened the New World to Europe.

Ah, but polenta is a quintessential Italian dish, you say.  That’s true, but polenta was never cooked before corn from America was introduced to Italy.  Zucchini has an Italian name, except in France and, inexplicably,* England,  where they call zucchinis ‘courgettes.’  But zucchini also came to Europe from Central America.  Now, of course, polenta and zucchini are firmly entrenched in Italian cooking, just as pasta is firmly entrenched in ours.

The third ingredient – shrimp can be found all over the Mediterranean, but the only place you could have found shrimp, corn and zucchini together before the 16^th century was the place we now call Mexico. 

This jumble of foods and the rapidly evolving cuisines of the age of exploration seem natural to us now, but they would have surprised most humans for the first 2,500 years of recorded history when diets were one-dimensional and pretty much the same thing from day to day.  Some of my ancestors ate oatmeal every day of their lives.

So, be glad that we are now a mongrel people, fed by all of the food traditions there are, with the exception of the cannibalistic, and enjoy this hodge podge of deliciousness below which is offered from one mongrel – myself (Scots-Irish-Alsatian) to another.

*Well, “inexplicably” because the English have regarded everything French with suspicion since the Frogs invaded (Billy the Conqueror).  Later, they saw them as imperial rivals and then, more recently, as a people good for fancy hair styles, clothing with ruffles and lace and overly complicated cooking.  And, yes, I know that the Spanish call zucchini calabacìn and have no idea what the Swedes and Finns call it – but I’m trying to tell a simple story here, so please stop trying to complicate things.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI

(adapted from ‘America’s Test Kitchen’)

Timing:                                                                

1 ½ hours, or, if you use instant polenta – my recommendation – 50 minutes

Ingredients:

   For the polenta – water, coarse-ground polenta or cornmeal, 1 tablespoon of salt, pinch of baking soda, 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 ounce of grated Parmesan.

   Or, use a good instant polenta – you’ll still need the water, salt, butter and parmesan – and it will come together for you in about 2 or 3 minutes after the water reaches a boil.

For the Shrimp and Zucchini

1 lb. extra-large shrimp (21-25) peeled, deveined and tails removed [Note:  we leave the tails on – they’re quite easy to remove with a knife and fork and they add a lot of flavor.  And it’s okay to use smaller shrimp].

3 tablespoons salt, for brining the shrimp

2 tablespoons sugar for brining

2 zucchinis

1 anchovy fillet

5 cloves garlic, minced – we used ½ clove

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 5 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil divided.

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup dry white wine

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons butter cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Prep:

Cook the polenta and keep warm – if it stiffens before you serve, you can loosen it with a little water and butter.

Dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar in one quart of cold water.  Submerge thawed shrimp in brine and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then drain the shrimp.

Use a vegetable peeler to shave each zucchini lengthwise into ribbons by peeling 3 ribbons from one side, then turning and peeling 3 more and continue to turn and peel until you reach the seeds.  Discard the zucchini core.

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice.

Cook:

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium until shimmering.  Add the zucchini and a small pinch of salt and cook, tossing, until zucchini just begins to wilt – about 1 minute.  Transfer to large plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and the garlic to the empty skillet and cook, stirring constantly for about 90 seconds, then add the oregano, the anchovy and a large pinch of salt and cook for about 30 more seconds.

Now add the wine, the water and the sugar and increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.  Add the shrimp, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the shrimp are just opaque – about 4 minutes.  Transfer the shrimp to the large plate with the zucchini.

Stir the lemon juice mixture to dissolve and then add to the skillet, cooking and stirring constantly, until the sauce is slightly thickened – about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, then the parsley and the lemon zest.

Return the shrimp and zucchini to the skillet and toss to combine.

Serve over polenta.