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| Brown Butter Shrimp Scampi on Crispy Parmesan Polenta Cakes with Sun Dried Red Pepper Puree, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, + a Drizzle of Balsamic Reduction |
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| the beginnings of slow roasted rainbow cherry tomatoes |
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| brown butter. slow roasted tomatoes. fresh herbs. garlic. juicy shrimp. |
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| brown butter shrimp scampi goodness is coming your way... |
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| sun dried red pepper puree. crispy parmesan polenta cake. brown butter shrimp scampi. slow roasted cherry tomatoes. fresh herbs. balsamic reduction. |
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| now try and tell me that this dish isn't perfection because it certainly is |
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| okay enough of the chit-chat, i'm ready to dig into this. |
Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes:
2C Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
For the Sun Dried Red Pepper
Puree:
1 Container of Delallo Sun Dried Red Peppers,
Drained & Patted Dry (as good as possible)
1 Bulb of Roasted Garlic
¼C EVOO
Salt, Fresh Cracked Pepper, & Sugar (to
taste)
1T Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Water or Chicken Stock, For Thinning the
Puree (if this is even needed)
For the Crispy Polenta Cakes:
1 Tube of Store-Bought of Polenta, Cut into
Thick Slices
AP Flour, For Dusting the Polenta Cakes
EVOO, For Frying
A Pinch of Salt & Pepper on Each Slice of
Polenta
Freshly Grated Parmesan, For Topping the
Cakes
For the Brown Butter Shrimp
Scampi:
2T EVOO
1lb pound of Fresh Georgia Shrimp, Peeled +
Deveined
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted + Browned
6 Cloves of Garlic, Cut into Thin Sliced (so
that they are slivered)
1t Dried Red Pepper Flakes (we like ours
spicy, if you don’t, then decrease to your liking)
½C White Wine
2T Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
1T Fresh Basil, Finely Chopped
1T Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Salt + Pepper, To Taste
Prepared Slow Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes
Homemade Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling
Directions:
1. For the Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 400 °. Toss
tomatoes with olive oil and kosher salt and arrange on a sheet pan cut side up.
Top the tomatoes with a few sprigs of rosemary. Cook for approximately one hour
until they are soft, shriveling, and turning golden brown.
2. For the Sun Dried Red Pepper Puree: In a food processor, add in
the drained + dried Delallo sun dried red peppers (of oil), along with the
roasted garlic cloves. Begin to puree the mixture, while it is still on,
drizzle in the olive oil until you have reached your desired thickness. If you
find it too thick for your tastes, then add some water or chicken stock to thin
it out a little bit. Season to taste with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and sugar
if needed. Once you have made your perfect puree, set it aside until you are
ready to assemble the dish.
3. For the Crispy Polenta Cakes: Cut the tube of polenta
into thick slices, and then dust them in a little AP flour and shake off any
excess. Heat about 1-2 inches of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high
heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta
circles. Cook the polenta on both sides or until they are golden brown in color
and have crisp edges. Finish by grating it with a little bit Parmesan. Transfer
to a serving platter and keep warm until the shrimp scampi is done.
4. For the Brown Butter Shrimp Scampi: Heat a sauté pan on high
heat then reduce to medium high heat. Swirl the butter and olive oil into
the pan. After the butter melts it will foam up a bit then it will begin
to subside. If using unsalted butter, sprinkle a little salt in the pan. Stir
in the slivered garlic and red pepper flakes. Sautee the garlic for 1-2
minutes or until it begins to brown around the edges, and then add in the
prepared shrimp. Pour in the white wine and brown butter and stir to coat the
shrimp in the sauce that has formed in the pan. Make sure to keep the shrimp in
an even layer in the pan, so that they all cook and brown at the same speed.
Increase the heat to high and boil the sauce (with the shrimp) for 2-3 minutes
or until is has become a cohesive, silky sauce. Stir or fold the shrimp again
into the sauce, making sure to flip them over, so that the other side browns
some as well (this should only take about 1 minute). Gently add in the slow
roasted tomatoes into the pan and fold them in with the shrimp (the more gentle
you are, you are more likely to have solid pieces of tomatoes that don’t break
down into a tomato sauce, we want them whole). Remove this mixture off the heat
add in the fresh parsley, basil, & lemon juice. Season with salt + pepper to
taste. Finally, toss all of the ingredients together until your brown butter
shrimp scampi is absolutely perfect.
5. Assembling the Brown Butter Shrimp Scampi + Crispy Polenta Cakes: Spoon the sun dried red
pepper puree into a thick circle in the center of a plate. Top the puree with a
crispy Parmesan polenta cakes, followed by some brown butter shrimp scampi with
roasted tomatoes. Finally garnish the plate with some more herbs and a drizzle
of balsamic reduction. Enjoy while it is still hot!!
