Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb flank steak, trimmed of fat and sliced thin against the grain
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sherry
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce, or to taste
½ cup beef broth (or chicken broth)
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, sherry, honey, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, Sriracha sauce and beef broth. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the steak until it starts to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add sauce and stir in with the steak, it should start to thicken immediately. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 2 minutes until broccoli is tender and sauce is thickened.
  3. Serve over rice or noodles.
Notes: I'm not a big fan of beef and broccoli from restaurants, but I enjoyed this. I think I enjoyed this recipe more, though.

Source: Jo Cooks. I think I heard Brittany tell one of the kids that our neighbors, the Algers, recommended this recipe.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Sausages with Caramelized Onions and Parmesan Mash

Ingredients
4 red onions, quartered (or cut into eighths if large)
2 1/2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp chili flakes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
8 good-quality sausages
Parmesan mash (see below)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Put the onions in a baking dish and sprinkle with the sugar, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and bake for 35 minutes.
  2. Cook the sausages in a frying pan over a medium-high heat for about 15 minutes until well browned. Serve with the caramelized onions and Parmesan mash.

Parmesan Mash

Ingredients
1 lb 12 oz waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
1 oz butter
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then drain and mash. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the butter has melted and then beat into the mash until smooth. Add the Parmesan and beat well. Season with salt and pepper.


Notes: We realized after cooking this that we were supposed to use the smaller breakfast sausages. The photo in the cook book was a bit misleading and we used large sausages instead. Still, a tasty meal.

Source: Simple Honest Food, pg 250.


Friday, March 11, 2016

Chorizo, Potato, and Red Pepper Frittata

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
1 red-skinned potato, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
10 eggs
2 1/2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a 8 inch frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the chorizo, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
  2. Turn the heat to medium, add the remaining oil, the potato, and the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the pepper and cook for 5 minutes before returning the chorizo to the pan. 
  3. Preheat your broiler to hot.
  4. Whisk the eggs and pour in the the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the eggs have almost set. Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese and then put the pan under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the frittata is golden and puffed.
Notes: I really enjoyed the flavors in this recipe and prefer it to the other two frittata recipes we've tried in the past. We had a bit of a hard time getting the top to cook without the bottom burning.

Source: Simple Honest Food, pg 83.