The approach of the storm and its surge got me thinking about Venice... OK... might seem a bit of a stretch, but hear me out... A magical city... an island... flooding when the water rises... made sense to me!
We spent a glorious week there while I was doing John Barton's Tantalus with the RSC in the UK. And one of the great meals I had there was Schie con Polenta: the tiny, tiny brine shrimp of the region, quickly cooked in garlic, EVOO, a little wine, with lemon and parsley. I mean, there were some frozen shrimp in the freezer... and who knew when the power would go out... right? So... better use those babies FAST!
I diced up the shrimp (the better to approximate the tiny ones) and let them sit in a bowl with lots of garlic, EVOO, salt, and red pepper flakes in the fridge for about an hour. Then I poached some more garlic in EVOO, splashed in some white wine, and then seconds before I was ready to serve... in went the shrimp JUST long enough to turn pink. Then a few tablespoons of unsalted butter, and parsley and lemon zest... and I poured it over some very plain, soft white polenta (just white corn meal, milk, salt, and a bay leaf). It may look a bit broth-y... but the broth makes the dish.
Try it... dream of Venice... Even if you've never been!!!