Isolation, Asparagus, Virus, Toilet Paper,

Only trouble with climbing the walls, it rips the wallpaper.

Don't know how many of you realise, but April starts on Wed. and asparagus season starts at the end of the month. Tm Barrie is already posting about arrangements to pick up and pay for asparagus purchases. Asparagus still grows no matter what virus is spreading and I will certainly be there for as long as the green stuff grows. I don't know where I got this picture from, but one thing Barrie's Asparagus never has is those tough ends you can see in the picture which have to be broken off. I have one jar of pickled asparagus which I will probably break open in early April ready for pickling the next bunch. For those of you who haven't been reading this blog long, you will probably get tired of asparagus recipes before the season is ended although I often throw in some rhubarb recipes too. It's about the only thing I have against ladydog, she cannot stand asparagus.

Hm, I have just read we have 209 new cases in Ontario - biggest spike yet - and 2 deaths. Now he has recovered I have just heard Tom Hanks caught Covid-19 too. Just checking other celebrities, Placido Domingo the opera singer/conductor. Our Prime Minister's wife tested positive too. Prince Albert of Monaco is another and even Harvey Weinstein in prison - now how did that happen? There is a long list of celebrities in various fields, most of whom I don't know, but one wonders how they caught it. I know with Prince Charles they have no idea how he caught it but he was in contact with all kinds of people prior to catching it, as was the British PM.

I was considering how many toilet rolls we had this morning and it made me think of the "old days" when people tore up newspapers to use in their bathrooms. I always remember a scene in Steptoe and Son, which became another programme in the US (Sandford and Son I think) where the old man, who could be a bit obscene himself, got locked in their outside toilet and started reading the news on the sheets of newspaper hung in the toilet for a different purpose than reading. It was a much funnier show in the UK than it ever was over here. Unfortunately I can't find this particular episode on Youtube. However, there are several videos of the original show. I remember one where the old man had a box of false teeth (they had a junk yard) and because something had happened to his, he tried on different plates to find one that fit him.

This is one of the few times I approve of leaving the tail on the shrimp although I still wouldn't do so if I were cooking this.

Air Fryer Shrimp Tempura

Air-fried shrimp tempura for a more wholesome alternative. This is also good served with sweet chili

sauce.

Sauce:
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sherry
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs chopped scallions
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ginger stir-in paste

Shrimp:
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup club soda
1 lb large shrimp - peeled, deveined, and tails left

1. Whisk soy sauce, sherry, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, scallions, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger stir-in paste together in a small bowl. Set dipping sauce aside.

2. Whisk egg, cornstarch, flour, and club soda together in a large bowl. Add shrimp and gently stir until shrimp are coated.

3. Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the basket of the air fryer and set aside.

4. Lift shrimp by the tail from the batter using tongs and let excess batter run off. Place as many shrimp as you can on the reserved parchment paper without overcrowding and place into the basket of the air fryer. You will need to cook the shrimp in batches.

5. Cook in the preheated air fryer until desired crispness, about 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Serve with reserved dipping sauce.

Servings: 4

 Author: Soup Loving Nicole
Source: AllRecipes

Cook's Note:Ginger stir-in paste can be found in the produce section of the grocery store.

Have a great day