Szechwan Beef

For years, the hubby has made a lovely Szechwan chicken stir-fry, the secrets of which he might never fully share with me. So I decided to try my hand at a beef version this evening, because I've never tried Szechwan beef.

OK, fine, it was because we had sirloin in the kitchen freezer, and the chicken is very far away, in the garage freezer. And I'm lazy. And the light bulb in the garage just burned out. And I'm not supposed to stand on things while the hubby isn't around, because I'm clumsy. And every time I walk in the garage when it's dark, I dislocate my toe, because I'm clumsy AND I have very fragile baby toes.

I share. I share too much.

Szechwan dishes are typically on the spicier side, and although I've had my share that have made my eyes water and my nose run, this dish (which is from Better Homes and Gardens), is actually on the milder side. You can certainly increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes, or even add some sriracha or other hot sauce, to amp up the heat.

Szechwan Beef
Serves 4

3 Tbsp. dry sherry
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 lb. steak, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, cut in cubes
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
Cooked rice, for serving

1. Combine the sherry, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, ginger, sugar, red pepper flakes, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Put oil in wok and heat over medium-high heat until hot.

3. Add carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add peppers and stir-fry another 1-2 minutes.

4. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

5. Add beef and stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until cooked.

6. Push beef away from center of wok, and add sauce. Reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir sauce until thick and bubbly.

7. Add veggies back to wok, and combine with beef and sauce.

8. Serve over rice.

Grilled Jerk Pork

Wow, I've been quiet for a while. Still cookin', just quiet. I have recipes that I've tried. I have pictures of the recipes that I've tried. If you come over, I'll show you. I just seem to have problems getting them into blog posts.

Yeah, we've been sick again. For more than a month. I'd go into more detail, but trust me, you don't want to hear about that on a food blog. The little man is feeling better again these days, and wow, is he growing.

He's 8 months old now, and has two teeth. His favorite foods are brownies, ice cream, and brownie ice cream. His favorite TV show is The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His favorite hobbies are taking bubble baths, rolling around the living room, and jumping on the bed (with help). And his favorite toys are his plastic maracas and a stuffed Superman he sometimes calls "Dada." (Anyone could make that mistake.) In short, our little man is a hoot. And always, always busy.

We still cook on a regular basis, but it's a bit faster than usual and we tend to stick to some of our favorites. This is one of them. This is a jerk pork recipe from Cooking Light that I've been making for years. It calls for quite a few ingredients, but most of them are pantry staples. And it has good jerk flavor without any of the elements being overwhelming. I've tried some jerk dishes that are too spicy, others that are too sweet, and even one that the hubby said tasted like grass. But this one is nicely balanced. I've used it on both pork tenderloin and pork steaks.

Just know ahead of time that the marinade is green. Because to me, it still seems weird to pull some green meat out of the fridge and toss it on the grill.

Grilled Jerk Pork
Serves 4

2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. fresh or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 serranos or jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, chops, or steaks

1. Place marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour marinade over pork.

2. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, but no more than one day.

3. Grill until cooked to desired doneness.