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Shrimp and sourdough have topped the list of submitted recipes and culinary questions this past week. Shrimp Lo Mein was shared by young cook, Kaleb Walter. He recently made this dish for his family. The recipe features fresh vegetables, cooked tender crisp and cooked shrimp, with pasta lightly dressed with a sweet/savory sauce.

Shrimp Lo Mein

• 8 ounces angel hair pasta

• 1/2 cup chopped asparagus

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 1/2 cup chopped carrot

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 1 cup cooked shrimp

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil

Sauce:

• 5 Tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 3 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar

Cook vegetables, garlic and onion in hot oil, stirring often, until tender crisp. Add the shrimp during the last minute of cooking.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well and add to the shrimp and vegetable mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and add to the pasta mixture, toss, or stir gently to evenly coat the ingredients. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Note: any favorite pasta could be used in this recipe, and you could adjust the vegetable selection to suit family tastes.

Brazilian Shrimp Soup was brought to a recent soup supper by Brian Schorzman. He found the recipe on the Food and Wine website. Coconut milk adds a slightly sweet tone to compliment the spicy kick of red pepper flakes and black pepper in this dish. Brian added kernel corn and the Cajun seasoning to the original recipe.

Brazilian Shrimp Soup

• 2 Tbsp cooking oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 cup long grain rice

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes in thick puree (1 3/4 cups)

• 1 can (15 ounces) kernel corn, drained

• 5 cups water

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, shelled

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp or to taste, Cajun seasoning

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

In a large soup pot or kettle, heat oil over moderately low heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the rice, red pepper flakes, salt, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and cook until the rice is almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir the coconut milk into the soup. Bring back to a simmer and then stir in the shrimp and drained corn. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the shrimp are just done, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Cajun seasoning, black pepper, lemon juice and parsley.

Best if served immediately but will hold an hour or so on low in a slow cooker or stove top. Yield: 4 to 6 generous servings.

Note: shrimp, as most seafood, cooks quickly and medium to low heat is most often best to prevent over cooking and creating a tough consistency.

Sourdough baking has gained popularity over the last few years. Pandemic lockdown and the desire for more wholesome food combined, sparked much of this resurgence. I field a lot of questions about sourdough so will share some general guidelines with you readers.

Sourdough is a living organism, therefore it needs feeding and tending. The needs are simple, flour and water.

Some folks keep their sourdough fermenting on the countertop. This will require more attention and ideally, using some of it every two to three days.

My sourdough starter is from a strain near to 100 years old. I keep it refrigerated until I am ready to bake. This method allows for several weeks rest between baking days if needed.

Sour dough has several dislikes. Chlorinated water will kill the starter, so use filtered water. Metal causes a chemical reaction that retards the organism growth, and items will not raise well. Therefore, use glass, ceramic or plastic bowls and measuring cups. Mix with wooden, plastic of silicone utensils and preferable bake in glass or parchment lined bakeware.

Store your starter in a glass or plastic container with enough head space to allow for expansion. When used regularly, sourdough can be quite active, even when refrigerated.

Setting/feeding your starter, to prepare for baking needs to be done with 12 to 18 hours working time.

One cup starter, thoroughly mixed with 1 cup unchlorinated warm water and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, covered and set to work overnight is the right amount for most pancake, waffle and muffin recipes. 1 cup starter, 2 cups unchlorinated warm water and 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, is ideal for most bread recipes.

Set starter should double in volume overnight, a sign it is working vigorously and will produce quality baked goods. Be sure to return at least 1 cup of the worked starter to the storage container, stirring well, each time you bake to keep the starter fed. If you feel your starter is getting lazy, add 1 tablespoon of rye four to the set starter when mixing to set over night. You won’t notice any rye flavor, but it will activate the sourdough organisms.

Lastly, if you know you won’t be backing for a month or more, freeze the starter. Just thaw and set to work overnight using the pancake formula to revive.

Share your favorite recipes for springtime dishes, soups and sourdough baking by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen c/o The Record Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Planning to set out plants in late April? The seeds for those plants should be started now. Wait for Easter if you are planning to wait until after Mother’s Day to set out plants.