During the pandemic, we kept in touch with our far flung extended families in a variety of ways – frequent Zoom calls, virtual game nights, and book clubs. With both book clubs (one club for my side of the family, one for Eric’s side), the members took turns choosing a book for the group to read. Even though the pandemic has ended, Book Club has continued. This month’s book pick for the Heuser side of the family was Gilbert’s choice. He likes to break out of the normative box and spice it up a bit. Literally. His book pick was a cookbook.

It was a novel idea for our book club. We were each going to read through the Puerto Rican cookbook, learning about the history and culture of that archipelago, and then make a few of the dishes. The book discussion focused on the creative writing style of author Illyanna Maisonet and our individual experiences making the recipes. It was a creative (and delicious) way for us to explore Gilbert’s heritage.

One of the dishes Eric and I made from Diasporican was a shrimp and grits dish with a decidedly Puerto Rican twist. There two specialty ingredients in this recipe. Sazon is a Puerto Rican spice blend of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper. Sofrito is a Latin American sauce comprised of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and herbs. Both are readily available in the Latino sections of most major grocery stores or specialty Latino markets.

Califas Shrimp with Funche (Puerto Rican Shrimp & Grits) (adapted from Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Funche:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup ground polenta
• 13.5-ounces coconut milk
• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Shrimp:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon sazón
• 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup sofrito
• 1 cup water
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound 26/30-count shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

For the funche: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1-1/2 cups of the water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta.

When the mixture begins to thicken slightly, turn the heat to low and add half of the coconut milk.

Cover and cook the polenta for about 30 minutes, until it is the consistency of oatmeal, stirring every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the remaining coconut milk, then season it with salt. If the polenta is still really thick, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup water. Stir in the butter.

While the polenta is cooking, prepare the shrimp. Stir together the orange juice, lemon juice, sazón, sambal oelek, sofrito, and water.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sauce to the pan. Season it with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set it aside.

In the same pan, combine the butter and shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Using tongs, flip the shrimp over and cook for 1 minute more until the shrimp is slightly pink.

Add the sauce back to the pan and add a squeeze of lemon juice to it. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the shrimp warm until the funche is ready.

Spoon the funche into serving bowls, top it with the shrimp & sauce mixture, and serve immediately.

Thanks for the intro to Puerto Rican cooking, Gilbert!  ~Linda

Califas Shrimp with Funche (Puerto Rican Shrimp & Grits) (adapted from Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet) Total Time Required: 1 hour, Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Funche:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup ground polenta
• 13.5-ounces coconut milk
• kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons salted butter

Shrimp:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon sazón
• 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup sofrito
• 1 cup water
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 pound 26/30-count shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

For the funche: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1-1/2 cups of the water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta. When the mixture begins to thicken slightly, turn the heat to low and add half of the coconut milk. Cover and cook the polenta for about 30 minutes until it is the consistency of oatmeal, stirring every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the remaining coconut milk, then season it with salt. If the polenta is still really thick, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup water. Stir in the butter.

While the polenta is cooking, prepare the shrimp. Stir together the orange juice, lemon juice, sazón, sambal oelek, sofrito, and water. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sauce to the pan. Season it with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set it aside.

In the same pan, combine the butter and shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Using tongs, flip the shrimp over and cook for 1 minute more until the shrimp is slightly pink. Add the sauce back to the pan and add a squeeze of lemon juice to it. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the shrimp warm until the funche is ready.

Spoon the funche into serving bowls, top it with the shrimp & sauce mixture, and serve immediately.