I admit it. I have a crush on Marcus Samuelsson. Alas, he has a beautiful wife so I must content myself with reading his Facebook and Twitter updates. His tweet linking to a recipe for fresh corn polenta piqued my curiosity. I followed the link and read the recipe. It was so simple it was brilliant in a “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that?” sort of way. Sweet Maryland corn is in season so I knew I would be making this after my next trip to the farmers market.
But what to serve with it? The question turned over in the back of my brain as the days ticked towards Sunday – Baltimore Farmer’s Market day. Of course I slept later than I intended. So I had only a few minutes to grab what I needed at the market before I got on the road for work. I picked up the corn. Then my thoughts turned to the remainder of dinner. The Truck Patch Farms stand – a beef and pork products vendor, is located close to the corn vendor. I decided that their hot country sausage would play brilliantly off of the sweet corn polenta. The rest of the pieces then fell into place.
The resulting meal is one part shrimp-n-grits, one part sausage-n-peppers, and delicious
Shrimp ‘n Sausage with Market Vegetables Over Fresh Corn Polenta
Serves 4
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz. spicy pork sausages, sliced
1 medium onion, julienned
1 large or two small poblano peppers, julienned
1 medium or two small zucchini, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes (slice the large ones in half)
½ cup chicken stock
Fresh Corn Polenta – prepared
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add sliced sausages. Once some of the fat has rendered out and sausages start to brown, add onion and poblano pepper slices. Sauté until onions start to become translucent. Add zucchini. Sauté until zucchini begins to soften. Add chicken stock and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing). Add shrimp and tomatoes. Cook until shrimp start to turn pink. Serve over fresh corn polenta. Enjoy!
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