Garlic-Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry

Well, the house is still too quiet. I've already taken Joey for two walks today and I plan on another one this evening. I figure if I wear her out, Buddy's absence won't bother her so much. Tomorrow, we're going to my mom and dad's to celebrate my niece Morgan's birthday, and father's day as well. In addition to taking a salad and fresh French-sliced green beans and gifts, I'm also going to take Joey. It really bothers me how she keeps expecting Buddy to come out of the garage.

I decided it was time that I tried another new recipe. Although this recipe for Garlic-Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry has a few more calories than I usually go for in a single meal, it was well worth it. I had some really nice shrimp in the freezer. I figure I better really enjoy the shrimp while I can. Given the disaster that's taking place in the Gulf of Mexico, I won't be able to have shrimp again for quite some time. Sure, the shrimp I have is farm grown, but the inevitable scarcity is going to drive those farm grown shrimp sky high.

This recipe calls for ginger and orange slices. I love the scent of the combination of ginger and orange. And the aroma and the taste of this dish doesn't disappoint. I did have some problems cutting the orange sections. I've seen cooks on TV remove the membranes from orange sections so that they still look like orange slices. I tried it. They sort of got mushed. However, they still tasted fine.

I did screw up in that I halved all the ingredients, but then I forgot to when it came to the sherry and vinegar...still it was delicious.

What I really liked about this dish is that each bite seemed to bring a new little surprise. One bite might taste more like ginger, the next one like garlic, and the next orange. The combination of these flavors really do work.

I know from living in a rural community, we sometimes wonder where the heck we'll be able to find exotic ingredients. I found all the ingredients at my local Hy-Vee. I did, however, use cooking sherry instead of the rice wine.

This recipe comes from page 206 of the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light magazine. The rice is cooked separately and instructions for preparation is not included in the recipe.

Ingredients
1.25 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/5 tablespoon's minced peeled fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1.5 cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 cup orange sections (about 2 large oranges)
3 cups hot cooked short-grain rice
1 cup (1-inch) cut green onion.

Preparation
1. Place shrimp in a bowl; sprinkle with salt, tossing well. Let stand 10 minutes.
2 Combine oil, ginger, and garlic in a wok or large nonstick skillet. Place over medium-high heat; cook 4 minutes or until ginger and garlic begin to brown. Add shrimp; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add bell pepper; stir-fry two minutes. Add wine and vinegar, bring to a simmer. Cook 1 minute or until wine mixture is syrupy. Gently stir in orange sections. Serve over rice; sprinkle with onions. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1.5 cups stir fry and 3/4 cups rice.) There are 417 calories per serving.