Strawberry Basil Gazpacho with Roasted Shrimp & Parmesan Polenta

Strawberry basil gazpacho is super springtime refreshing. Its salty-sour sweetness really gets the salivary glands going.

Although gazpacho is traditionally made with tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and olive oil, the tomatoes can be replaced with other fruits. Try strawberries & basil in the Spring when the berries start flooding the markets and melon & mint in the Summertime.

The hors d'oeuvre that goes alongside the gazpacho is quite a complicated little affair. Lots of little parts to it. Too bad, its eaten in only a few bites!

Cheesy parmesan polenta is cut out into shapes and then toasted and topped with a purée of basil and butterflied wild white shrimp. The plate is garnished with a relish of strawberries, celery, fennel, and bacon. (gotta have the smokiness of the bacon for this). And lastly, a drizzle of basil-chive oil.

I tested this recipe out on a few trusted people (my parents) who aren't afraid to tell me when I've hit the mark or missed completely. I know they doubted the strawberry basil combo in the beginning but, were believers by the end. In fact I got a "delightful!" out of my step-dad who spent a thousand years in the food industry.

This is a first course or amuse bouche, not a main meal, so keep the portions small.

Technorati Tags: gazpacho, polenta, recipe, shrimp, soup, strawberries

Strawberry Basil Gazpacho with Sautéed Wild Shrimp,Toasted Polenta & Basil Purée

serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/4 pound ripe strawberries
1 big bunch fresh basil
1 bunch chives
2-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (depending on sweetness of berry)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 wild large fresh shrimp
2 strips bacon
1 cup cornmeal polenta
3 cups water
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 celery stalk
1 small fennel bulb
salt & freshly ground pepper
sugar

Instructions
1. Wash and hull 1 pound strawberries (reserve the remaining 1/4 pound) and put directly into a cuisinart or blender. Purée. Add vinegar, 2 three-finger pinches of salt, 3 twists on the pepper mill and purée again. Taste. It should be vinegar-y and salty but have a nice sweetness. If the strawberries weren't as sweet as suspected add a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and purée again. Add olive oil and 4 big leaves of basil, purée until all is smooth. Refrigerate. (It will taste a little different after 15 minutes, so don't re-season until it's sat for a while).

2. Make one cup of cornmeal polenta according to instructions. Normally this means cooking it in three times as much boiling water and then turning it down to a simmer and allowing it to cook through slowly while stirring constantly (about 10 minutes). Add the parmesan to the polenta when it is cooked and mix until melted. Add salt and pepper to season. Spread the polenta out in a baking dish or pan covered with parchment paper to 1/2" thickness and coll. Cut polenta into desired shapes and place on a baking sheet to toast right before plating. (can be made 1 day ahead)

3. Brunoise the fennel, celery, and 5 strawberries. (dice into perfect 1/4" cubes). Set aside.

4. Place the remaining leaves of basil and 1/4 bunch chives in a cuisinart or blender with 1/4 cup of olive oil and blend the living daylights out of it. Add two pinches of salt and blend away. Drain oil from purée in a small sieve. Reserve each separately.

5. Almost home! Chop bacon into large chunks and sauté in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Once bacon is nice and crispy (but not burned) remove to a paper towel lined plate and drain. Reserve 2-3 Tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet to sauté the shrimp. When bacon is cool chop into bacon bits.

6. Take the shells off the shrimps up to the tail. To butterfly, cut down the shrimp lengthwise 3/4's the way to the tail. Remove the intestinal track in the process. Heat the bacon fat up on medium high heat. Once hot, sauté the shrimp until cooked through, about 1-2 minutes depending on the size.

7. Toast the polenta in the broiler, put a dab of basil purée on top and one shrimp. Sprinkle relish of strawberry, celery, fennel and bacon around. Drizzle some of the chive oil decoratively around the plate. Serve next to a shot or small bowl of strawberry basil gazpacho.

Comments

[Le Meg]

mmmohhhh....(drooling)

[Adele]

Mmm. Love the thought of pairing strawberries and basil - and it looks delicious.

[Mad William]

Sounds wonderful. Can't wait to try it.

[Mike]

I've been meaning to try this kind of soup for awhile now, but you really got me thinking about everything else to serve/plate with it. This looks really elegant and sounds incredibly delicious!

[Ms. Glaze]

I know it sounds a little crazy, like dessert for dinner, but it's really delicious. I think the key is to keep everything in small portions. It gets the palate going, but it's not the type of soup made for huge portions.

[Karina]

Oh my. Now this sounds like absolute heaven. Gorgeous!

[Alanna]

I do love switching it all around like this - a familiar ingredient as an unfamiliar ingredient in a familiar recipe. Say that three times without st-ch-tumbling.

[Sheila S.]

The strawberry gazpacho was delicious. Great suggestion.

[Paula Richmond]

I made this yesterday and it was fabulous! Sweet yet savory at the same time. I'll make it again when the famous Oregon strawberries are in season.