Beef with Green Peppers

For supper tonight, the hubby and I tried a modified version of a recipe that we tasted during a Chinese cooking class last fall. It’s a pretty simple and mild beef stir-fry with green peppers, nice and light.

This is an excellent weeknight recipe because it comes together quickly. It cooks very fast, however, so as with most stir-fry recipes, you want to prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking. (You’ll only have about five minutes from start to finish with the cooking time.)

The flavor of the garlic, ginger, and sesame oil really pop out in this stir-fry. Use the dark sesame oil, because the flavor and fragrance is so much more intense. As I was preparing my ingredients, I told the hubby how much I love the smell of sesame oil. About a half-hour later, he leaned over to talk to me, and I noticed he’d slathered some on.

I do love a man in dark sesame oil.

Beef with Green Peppers
Serves 4

Marinade
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1¼ lb. steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 large green bell peppers, seeded and cubed
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ c. water

1. Combine marinade ingredients. Add to beef and marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until brown.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high. Push beef to sides of wok and add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until brown, about 30 seconds.

4. Add peppers and stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until peppers are crisp-tender.

5. Meanwhile, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Add to wok and cook about 1 minute.

6. Combine cornstarch and water. Add to wok and cook until sauce thickens (which should be almost right away).

7. Remove from heat, and serve stir-fry with rice.

Beef Enchiladas

The hubby was craving General Tso’s for supper tonight. I really wanted enchiladas. The hubby’s into coddling me these days, so I won. (Am I mean? I feel mean.) Although, I did offer to cook AND clean up the kitchen.

I love enchiladas, and I probably order them 90% of the time when we go out to Mexican restaurants. My favorites are beef and cheese, and I try to order one of each because the beef always seems a bit too beefy, and the cheese is too cheesy. But if you combine them, it’s perfect.

I’m also rather picky about my enchilada sauce. The red stuff that you can buy in a can is okay, and I use it on occasion in other recipes. But I don’t like it on my enchiladas. (I’m weird. On so many levels.)

A Mexican restaurant in town – Guadalajara, for the locals – has one of the best enchilada sauces I’ve ever tasted. It’s a lot beefier and thinner than most, and has this yummy, salty, flavor. The restaurant seems to move around a lot, and it also seem to be closed for employment violations on a regular basis, but if you can manage to find it when it’s open, give it a try.

This sauce combines a more traditional red enchilada sauce with that beefier, saltier flavor. I thought it would go really well with the beef and cheese filling, because it still has enough tomato flavor to complement the beef.

I made these a bit spicy to please the hubby, who’s usually not much of an enchilada man. (They got the thumbs-up.) Feel free to omit the crushed red pepper flakes and the cayenne if you want things a bit milder.

Beef Enchiladas
Serves 4-6

1 lb. hamburger
Salt and pepper
1 pkg. spicy taco seasoning, or 1 pkg. regular taco seasoning and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Sauce
½ Tbsp. butter
3 tsp. flour
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 c. beef broth
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tsp. chili powder
1½ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. taco seasoning (or 1 additional tsp. cumin)
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

10-12 7” flour or corn tortillas (I prefer flour)
2 c. shredded Colby-Jack or cheddar cheese
Assorted toppings for serving, such as lettuce tomato, sour cream, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Ask someone else to add the hamburger to a frying pan. I asked the hubby.

3. Brown hamburger and season with salt and pepper. Combine with taco seasoning according to package directions, and add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

4. Meanwhile, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, stir in flour to form a roux. (This will slightly thicken the sauce.)

5. Add beef broth, stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps. Add tomato sauce and seasonings. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes, then reduce to a simmer.

6. Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. (I used a smaller dish because I was only making a half-batch this evening.)

7. Heat a tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds. (You could instead dip them in warm oil briefly to soften them, but this method is faster, cleaner, and healthier.)

8. Add a few tablespoons of beef and cheese, and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

9. Cover with a few ladles of sauce, and then bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with additional sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

10. Serve nude.

Or dressed up.