CURRENT MOON

Friday, March 06, 2009

Ginger Shrimp



I got this recipe from the divine Vicki at Eschaton.

Ginger Shrimp

1# shrimp, deveined, with tails intact

Marinade:

1 T chopped, fresh ginger (1 t ground ginger works, too)

1/4 t red pepper flakes

2 T finely chopped parsley (2 t dried parsley is okay)

1 bay leaf

1/4 teason thyme

2 T olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the marinade ingredients and mix well. Marinate the shrimp at room temperature for a half an hour.

Meanwhile, melt:

6 T butter, combined with one crushed clove of garlic.

Broil, saute, or grill the shrimp for a minute or two. Turn them over, and
cook for 2 - 3 additional minutes.



For the last two months of her pregnancy, my brilliant DiL was on bed rest. On Saturdays, I'd cook up storm: a pot of vegetable pistou or of chicken, sweet potato, and wild rice soup, a roast chicken, collards, corn bread, tapioca pudding, spanikopita, stuffed peppers, walnut bars, berry salad with sugared ricotta dressing, blood oranges, grapefruit, pomegranate, and kiwi in honey, whatever I could cook up so that she'd stay off her feet. Someone, her doctor or childbirth coach or doula -- I forget who -- advised DiL to eat as much protein as possible, and so I made this shrimp recipe several times; Son and DiL both like shrimp and it's pretty much protein.

So, tomorrow is G/Son's third B/Day party. DiL has about 30 people, most of them three years of age or younger, coming over to her lovely, warm, inviting home. I cooked up four pounds of ginger shrimp, remembering those cold, scary months when we all worked every kind of magic that we could work to get G/Son safely here. And, I did that v odd magic that I've been doing for almost 20 years, I sent magic back to my scared self in 2006, standing at the counter chopping ginger and garlic, squeezing lemons, melting butter. I tell myself: It will turn out better than you can imagine. You can do this. Hang in there. It will be ok. And, back in 2006, I use and depend upon that magic.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hell, I've been doing that talk-to-myself-through-time thing for decades, since high school anyway. Long before I had any ideas about magic or wicca, it was more of a sci-fi conception back then. And yeah, it works. And yeah, you have to remember, when the time comes, to send the message back.

sometimes young-you is too dumb/stubborn/fearful/in love or otherwise distracted to listen. But you send it anyway.

Oh, recipe looks damn good too. :)

Anonymous said...

I do that too and have never seen it mentioned before! I reach out my hand to my younger self in those hours after my mother committed suicide and I bring myself through that day, handhold after handhold.

Mary in Africa

Hecate said...

xan and Marya

That's so cool; I thought that I was the only one who did this. And, yes, it's v important to send the message back.

Anonymous said...

I remember those months, and I'm so very glad we all came through them together and can enjoy your very cute G/Son, Nonna!

Anonymous said...

That is a form of magic that never even occurred to me to try ... I shall have to do something about that.

Also, this wonderful recipe shall be made for my family soon!!

Thank you for sharing such special memories!