Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

I still remember the best teriyaki beef I've ever encountered- it was in 2006 at a small roadside diner named Tex Drive In.  It is in Hawaii on the Big Island, and famous for its malasadas (Portuguese donut-like sweets).   It wasn't fancy (we ordered at a counter and ate outside), but the food was amazing.  If I ever make it back to Hawaii I will hunt it down again.

Sadly this is not the same teriyaki beef as at Tex Drive In, but it is an easy, tasty alternative.  The sauce also works well as a marinade for grilling beef or chicken.


Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry
Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
1.5 lb flank steak
1-2 T canola oil
Green beans, snow peas, or other vegetables as desired (may consider steaming or microwaving until partially cooked, depending on what vegetables you choose)
Green onions for garnish
Rice for serving

Marinade:
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T sherry
1 T cornstarch

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 C soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/4 C red wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar (could substitute honey)
2 inch ginger root; peeled and minced
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 T crushed red pepper (we like it hot around here and add even more on top)

1. Slice beef into thin strips against the grain
2. Mix ingredients for marinade in a bowl and stir in the beef.  Cover and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes
3. Mix teriyaki sauce in a separate bowl and set aside
4. Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat
5. Add steak and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally
6. When steak has lost most of its raw red color, add vegetables and teriyaki sauce
7. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until desired doneness
8. Serve with jasmine rice; garnish with green onions


The boyfriend would like credit for cutting all vegetables in the above photos.

Meat Sauce (with sausage)

Spaghetti sauce, meat sauce, tomato sauce, ragu, bolognese- so many names for variations of the same thing.  This one better classifies as a ragu (meat sauce) than a bolognese (specific type of ragu), and it doesn't require the day-long cooking that a good bolognese does.  Pasta sauce is a common occurrence in this apartment, as it's easy to make in large quantities and freeze for later.

Meat Sauce with Sausage

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

1 lb bulk Italian sausage (ideally without fennel)

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, diced

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz whole Italian peeled plum tomatoes

2 cans of tomato sauce, one 28 oz and one 12 oz (my family always uses Dei Fratelli)

At least 8-10 large leaves fresh basil, more to taste, torn or cut into smaller pieces

2 Tb fresh chopped oregano

pinch salt

generous freshly ground black pepper

¼ to 1/3 C olive oil

1.  Brown sausage and beef in a large pot over medium-high heat, then drain and set aside

2.  In the same pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high.  Then add onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt.  Cook until onions are near translucent.

3. Add beef and sausage back to the pan, and add plenty of black pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add tomato sauce and peeled tomatoes, and break the tomatoes with a spoon.

5. Add basil and oregano.

6. Bring to a simmer then lower heat to low so that an occasional bubble pops through.

7. Simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1.5-2 hours.

Serve with pasta (we're partial to penne here) and freshly grated parmesan!

Eggs!

Eggs have a lot going for them.  Cheap, healthy (if you toss out some of the yolks), and fast.  But plain scrambled eggs are so...boring.  In case you've been stuck in a rut with boring eggs, here are some other ideas.

1. Scramble them in olive oil, add some fresh or dried herbs, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Cheesy Buffalo Eggs

To make: Scramble eggs (or egg whites), add some cheese (I used American, but Cheddar would probably be even better).  Drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.  Some green onion garnish or some shredded chicken would probably be delicious as well.

3. Put some garlic salt and Penzey's "mural of flavor" on them.  (No, this is not an ad.  I just love this mix of herbs on eggs.)

4. Pesto Egg Sandwich
To make: Toast English muffins and spread both sides generously with pesto.  Consider adding a swipe of butter before the pesto if you're feeling risky.  You deserve it.

Then, scramble/fry/poach (whatever you prefer) 1 or 2 eggs.  Season with salt and pepper.  A few moments before removing from the pan, top with parmesan or mozzarella cheese.  You can get creative here with other toppings (tomatoes, spinach, arugula).  Assemble your sandwich and enjoy!

5. Sriracha on eggs.  Sriracha on everything.  Do it.

Food and drink in the City of "Points" (Washington, D.C.)

A weekend trip to Washington, D.C. was a great success in terms of friend-time, food-time, and drink-time.

(obligatory panda photo)

Our culinary adventure began with pupusas at a Salvadoran restaurant. They were a somewhat inexplicable cross between a quesadillas/corn tortillas/pork tacos. We tried cheese pupusas and pork pupusas; all were pretty good and came with a side of slaw.

Our next adventure was an unplanned visiting of bars "on the way" to the places we were walking. The weather was rather miserable so avoiding the outdoors was key. Some of the highlights included a delicious trippel, a stop at a local brewery/restaurant, and some stops in Chinatown.

Dinner included delicious chicken pesto pizza, a pizza with Spanish ham and oven-dried tomatoes, and red wine at a chic/multi-level restaurant in Chinatown. With an amazing fruit beer on the way.

("point" photo)