Grilled Shrimp with Chive Polenta Cakes

Ingredients

• Chive Polenta Cakes:
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pyrex dish
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Small bunch of chives
• Shrimp Skewers:
• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped

Directions

1. Coat an 8x8 Pyrex dish with butter. Add the milk, cornmeal, and butter to a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then set it over medium-high heat and cook, stirring the whole time, until it reaches a simmer. Once it starts bubbling gently, stir in the sugar, salt, and chives, and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Transfer it to the buttered dish and let it cool and firm up until it can be sliced, about 3 hours.
2. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil, generous pinches of salt and pepper, oregano, and basil, tossing until the shrimp are evenly coated. Slide the shrimp onto skewers, then refrigerate them while the polenta finishes setting.
3. Once the polenta is firm, turn it out carefully onto a cutting board and slice it into 4 equal pieces. Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Grill the polenta pieces gently until they are hot all the way through and marked from the grill, about 8 minutes. Take them off the grill and set them aside.
4. Grill the shrimp skewers until the shrimp turn pink and just start to char, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with a chilled rosé and sliced scallions for garnish.