Prawns & Fennel with Parmesan Polenta

Prepare Ingredients:

Wash the fresh produce. Cut fennel in half and remove core. Thinly slice fennel 1-2 mm Tip: use a mandolin if you have one. Halve cherry tomatoes. Peel and thinly slice shallots and garlic. Zest lemon, pick and roughly chop parsley leaves, discarding stems.

Sauté Fennel:

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Heat enough oil to cover the base of the pan, adding shallots, garlic and fennel. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender 4-5 minutes.

Add Wine & Tomato:

Add tomatoes, lemon zest and wine and simmer until reduced by half, another 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, put milk and ½ cup of water in a small pot and bring to the boil for polenta in step 5.

Add Prawns:

Add prawns and simmer until just opaque 2-3 minutes. Add juice from half the lemon and chopped parsley reserving some for garnish. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Make Polenta:

Once milk has come to the boil, reduce heat to low and add polenta in a steady stream, stirring continually. Cook polenta for 6 - 8 minutes, stirring regularly, keeping it low enough that the polenta won’t puff, pop, and spit as it cooks. As the polenta thickens, add butter and parmesan reserving some for garnish to finish. Tip: If any lumps form at all, grab a whisk and give the polenta a good mix. All the lumps should disappear.

You Plate It:

Season polenta well with salt and pepper then spoon onto plates. Top with prawns and fennel. Garnish with remaining parmesan and parsley. Enjoy!