For this post, I thought instead of boring you with my scintillating repartee, I would bore you instead with my method for creating the perfect pasta dish.

To my thinking, the secret to any good pasta dish lies not only in the list of ingredients but in the preparation itself. (Actually, that really goes for any dish you prepare!)  I always recommend that before beginning any recipe, you read the preparation instructions as carefully as you read the list of ingredients. There is simply nothing worse than happily cooking along and realizing that your seafood is cooked to perfection and that it’s now time to add the sauce. But your “sauce” has yet to be assembled!

That is exactly what would have happened to me if I had followed the instructions as written for the recipe that was the basis for this pasta dish.  And for the very reason I just cited, in this case “the sauce step”, I almost always deconstruct a dish from top to bottom before I remove even one cooking implement from its resting place. I simply do not appreciate being blindsided halfway through a recipe!

But every cook is different. So even though I have tried to make this recipe, and actually all my recipes for that matter, as easy and logical as possible, I still recommend you go through the preparation instructions with an eye to making it even more efficient for yourself. (And don’t limit yourself to just my recipes.) Apply this tactic with every new recipe you contemplate.

So as you will see when you read the instructions for this dish, having all the ingredients assembled ahead of time is truly a must. The actual cooking time is only a few precious little minutes. Having all your ingredients prepped ahead of time not only makes good sense, but will help ensure perfect results. Happy cooking! Oh, and I hope you enjoy the recipe.

• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 12 snap peas, cut in half on the diagonal
• 1 lb. raw large shrimp (16-20 per pound is best for this recipe)
• 1 T. cornstarch
• pinch – ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 T. tamari
• ½ c. chicken broth
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 8-oz. thick egg noodles (I use the Country Pasta Homemade Style Egg Pasta sold at Costco in a 64-oz. bag)

Combine the minced ginger and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.  Cut up the carrot, red pepper, and snap peas. Set aside. Peel the shrimp. Set aside. Start the water for your pasta. (Don’t forget to add salt when the water comes to a boil.) In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, sesame oil, tamari, and chicken broth. Set the sauce aside. Slice the green onions. Set aside.

When the salted pasta water is boiling, add the pasta to the pot and heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large fry pan or wok. When the oil is hot, add the minced ginger and garlic; cook for about one minute or until you can smell the garlic. Add the carrot, red pepper, and pea pods and sauté for a couple of minutes or until the veggies are crisp tender. Add the shrimp and cook only until done (the shrimp will no longer be grey). Add the sauce and cook only until sauce has thickened, about a minute. Drain the noodles (when they are al dente, of course) and add to the sauce. Stir to coat all the noodles and serve immediately sprinkled with the sliced green onions.