A Ginger dish that tastes great

by Millie Bentley

Greetings. When things get stressful I’ve turned to my old home remedy, ginger, to keep a calm stomach. No kidding! And the best thing is, not only is it good for you, but it tastes great. You’ll know for sure when you cook up this week’s recipe. So be well and enjoy.

Fettuccini with Shrimp and Ginger

¾ pound raw shrimp, medium to large sized

3 or 4 green onions, sliced diagonally (1/2 inch, including greens)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 ounces Chinese snow peas, cleaned, strings removed

1 cup sliced water chestnuts (or use diced fresh Jicama)

½ pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2/3 cup shrimp broth (see directions below)

2 teaspoons corn starch

2 teaspoons cold water

2 teaspoons soy sauce

¼ teaspoon dried red chilis (optional; or use 2 dashes hot pepper sauce

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish (or use parsley)

8 ounces fettucini

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Peel, butterfly (cut in half length-wise) and de-vein shrimp; rinse quickly, pat dry and set aside. Place shrimp shells in cooking pot with ¾ cup water, bring to boil, cover and simmer for about five minutes. Set aside.

Prepare, measure, and set aside all the remaining ingredients. Drain liquid from shrimp shells – should be about 2/3 cup (if not, add water to make 2/3 cup liquid) – discard shells, mix together corn starch, cold water, soy sauce and dried chilis or a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce. Set aside.

Now we can begin to cook! Pour about three quarts of water and a teaspoon of salt into a large pot, bring to a boil and cook fettuccini according to package directions, probably about 10 minutes. Don’t overcook.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok; add onions, ginger and garlic and stir fry for about two minutes. Add shrimp, stirring about one minute. (Don’t forget to keep an eye on the pasta; drain and set aside when it is cooked to your taste.)

Re-stir your cornstarch mixture and pour into the other ingredients in wok. Cook and stir until thickened. Place drained pasta in a large flat bowl, pour gingered shrimp and vegetables over pasta; garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Until next week, dear friends, vaya con Dios.