Stir Fried Beef and Sugar Snap Peas

This is a family favorite - even L & M go back for seconds!

Ingredients:

1 lb Tri-tip
3 Tbs. dry sherry or rice wine

1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger 

2 tsp. soy sauce 

1 ¹⁄₂ tsp. cornstarch 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

1 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. peanut oil

2 Tbs. Sriracha 

2 Tbs. hoisin sauce 

1 Tbs. minced garlic (from 3 medium cloves) 

6 oz. sugar snap peas (about 2 cups) 

1 medium bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄₂ x 2-inch strips 

8 medium scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 cup)

If you want to serve the stir-fry with rice, start the rice before starting the stir-fry!  This is the part I always forget!!

Freeze Tri-tip for a 20-30 minutes before cutting across the grain in ¹⁄₈th inch-thick strips. Set aside. In a medium bowl mix 1 Tbs. of the sherry, the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, 1 tsp. of the oil, ¹⁄₄ tsp. salt, and ¹⁄₈ tsp. pepper.  Stir until the cornstarch is no longer visible. Add the beef and mix until the beef is lightly coated.

In a small bowl, stir the *Sriracha, hoisin sauce, and the remaining 2 Tbs. of sherry. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat until hot.  Add the beef, spreading it evenly over the bottom and sides of the wok in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear, stir-fry until the beef is lightly browned but not yet cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer the beef to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the wok and swirl to coat. Add the sugar snap peas, bell pepper, and scallions, sprinkle with ¹⁄₂ tsp. salt, and stir-fry until the snow peas are bright green, about 1 minute. Return the beef with any accumulated juice to the wok. Add the Sriracha sauce mixture by swirling it down and around the sides of the wok.  Stir-fry until the beef is just cooked through and the vegetables are crisp-tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 people.

*2 Tbs of Sriracha makes this dish pretty spicy, to make this kid friendly we add about 1 tsp of Sriracha to the sauce and then add more to our liking on our individual plates.

Adapted from Fine Cooking 117 , pp. 71

May 3, 2012

Multi-Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chopped onion
1 green bell pepper - cored, seeded and chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper - cored, seeded and chopped
¹⁄₂ lb lean, ground beef (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried basil
Dash cayenne
2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth
3 Roma tomatoes - seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Garnish:
chopped Cilantro
grated Cheddar cheese
1 avocado
sour cream
tortilla chips

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven, or other large pot, over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and cayenne and cook 2 minutes longer - stirring constantly to evenly coat the vegetables with the spices.  *Add the ground beef and cook for several minutes until no longer pink - stirring to mix it with all of the vegetables and spices.  Stir in the broth, tomatoes, mustard and Worcestershire and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the beans and cook until heated through - about 10 minutes longer.  Add garnish and serve.

The chili can be made up to 2 days in advance and slowly reheated before serving.

*The beef we use is lean (16%), grass fed and renders very little fat.  If you need to - cook the beef first, remove the meat, spoon off most of the fat,  cook the vegetables and then add the meat back in.

Recipe adapted from The Junior League of Seattle's Celebrate the Rain.

Car-co-doodles

The ultimate Snickerdoodle!  Part Snickerdoodle, part chocolate chip cookie rolled in cinnamon-sugar.  It is delicious!

Ingredients:

1¹⁄₃ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₄ teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces Scharffen Berger semisweet or bittersweet baking chunks, roughly chopped into smaller pieces
¹⁄₂ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the chocolate pieces and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and brown sugar.  Start on low speed and increase to medium until light and fluffy - around 5-8 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and then the egg, mixing on low speed until fully incorporated.  Scrape the bowl and add the dry ingredient, mixing until they are just incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  At this point the dough can be formed into cookies or stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  This dough also freezes well for up to 3 weeks.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Let the cookie dough warm at room temperature for 20 minutes.  Form into balls and dip the balls into the cinnamon-sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Slightly flatten the cookies and then bake for about 15 minutes until light golden brown.  Cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Makes 16 3¹⁄₂ inch or about 24 smaller cookies

Recipe adapted slightly from Leslie Mackie's More from MACRINA

A Collection of Recipes

Welcome!  I am sure this blog will take on a life of it's own as time goes on but for now it is a place for me to keep and share our favorite recipes, both new and old.  Enjoy!