* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Cheesy polenta and dirty prawns
Comfort food from the American South
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr25 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 725kcal
Author: Gizzi Erskine
Equipment
Saucepan
Whisk
Bowl
Frying pan
Ingredients
For the cheesy polenta
2lfresh chicken or veg stock
200gpolenta, cornmeal or grits
1sprigthyme
80gCheddargrated
30gParmesangrated
30gbutter
Pinchcayenne pepper
Pinchwhite pepper
sea salt
For the dirty prawns, spring onions and bacon
16raw king prawnspeeled with tails on, deveined and split down the middle to butterfly
1tbspolive oil
6garlic clovescrushed
100gsmoked streaky baconcut into lardons
1tbspbutter
4spring onionsfinely chopped
1/2tspsea salt
1/4tspwhite pepper
Good pinch of cayenne pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice
Method
How to make the cheese polenta
Put the chicken (or veg) stock, polenta, thyme and quarter of a teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer over a very low heat for one hour. Initially it will resemble murky yellow water, but have patience, it will slowly come together. Keep whisking the mixture, especially during the last 15 minutes of cooking, to prevent the bottom of the polenta scorching.
Once you have a nice thick gloopy consistency similar to a well-cooked porridge, which pulls away from the sides of the pan and has no bite to it when tasted, mix in the cheeses, butter and peppers. You will notice that the the polenta lightens in colour and becomes lovely and shiny. Season with salt to taste and keep hot until ready to serve.
How to make the dirty prawns, spring onions and bacon
Place the prawns in a bowl with enough olive oil to coat them, add the crushed garlic and allow to marinate while you get everything else ready. This dish cooks fast so have everything prepped and organised before you start cooking.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with a slick of oil. Add the bacon and fry until it is starting to crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same pan, melt the butter in the remaining bacon fat. Turn up the heat to high and add the prawns. You want to cook these hard and fast. When they have begun to turn opaque, return the bacon to the pan along with the spring onions, salt, pepper and cayenne.
Check for seasoning and give it a generous squeeze of lemon juice before serving alongside the polenta.