Polenta with Chorizo and Shrimp

The last time I tried to make polenta, I failed miserably. I was aiming for some sort of polenta fritters but the texture came out all wrong, and they were definitely not worth writing home about. I gave up on polenta ever since - so there was a bit of resistance I felt like I needed to overcome. This time wasn’t smooth sailing either; it took me two tries to get it right. The first time the liquid wasn’t warm enough and I didn’t whisk vigorously enough, and I got a strange chunky mixture that was impossible to get smooth after that. So I threw it out, and started over. Second time was a winner :)

Ingredients (serves 2):
100g quick-cook polenta
600ml vegetable stock
100g Spanish soft chorizo, chopped
60g spinach, chopped
180g shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
50g parmesan
30g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the chorizo for 3 minutes. In another pan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil.

2. Slowly add the polenta to the vegetable stock and whisk vigorously until fully mixed. Turn the heat to very low. Add the parmesan and butter, whisking them in until melted and mixed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and cover.

3. Add the garlic and the shrimp to the chorizo and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the shrimp are pink. Add in the spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until wilted.

4. Divide the polenta over two bowls and top with the chorizo, spinach and shrimp. Drizzle over the oil from the chorizo and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.