sizzling beef

since we both worked late tonight, i had somewhat of a dilemma. i needed something quick, but also something that seems too difficult for jason to make. (he's always afraid i'm going to ask him to cook on the night when something 'hard' is planned.) so an easy stir fry it was.

what worked

1. the recipe called for red bell pepper, but since they cost twice as much as green, i went with the green. easy replacement.
2. definitely easy. definitely quick. probably took me 40 minutes start to serving.

what didn't

1. i forgot to buy ginger at the store, so i skipped it. i'm not a huge ginger fan so i didn't miss it much.
2. my saute pan was too small. had i read the recipe all the way through before starting, i would have realized the rice was mixed with the meat and veg. oh well. lesson learned.
3. a little more soy sauce would do it for me. the 2T is a little dry...maybe one or two additional tablespoons added to the veg before mixing with the rice.

the meal is really really easy to make. no crazy chopping. no constant stirring or pot watching. the only thing to watch is the vegetables - the peppers and scallions should still have a slight crunch to them. no one likes soggy vegetables in their stir fry.

the recipe can really be used as a base for any kind of fried rice. pick your protein - beef, chicken, pork - slice it thin and add vegetables. i'm thinking carrots, maybe some water chestnuts. and garlic, a little minced garlic. hmmm...maybe i'll have to try this sometime with sliced chicken breast too (or maybe jason can take a stab at it.)

sizzling beef and scallions
from everyday with rachel ray, december/january 2010

8 oz london broil sliced into short thin strips
2T soy sauce
1/4c + 2T vegetable oil
10 scallions, greens and whites sliced, separately
2/3c chopped red pepper (i used half a green pepper)
1T finely chopped fresh ginger
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2t sugar
4c cooked white rice, cooled

1. toss the beef with 1T soy suace. in a large (remember, everything will end up in this pan at the end) nonstick skillet, heat 2T oil over medium-high heat. add the beef until cooked through. the original recipe says 2 min, it took me closer to 8. transfer the cooked beef to a bowl.
2. add 1T oil to the skillet and cook the scallion whites, pepper, and ginger for about 2 minutes, until slightly brown on the edges and starting to soften. stir in the peas.
3. push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the eggs to the empty side.
4. stir the eggs until they set and mix in with the vegetables. stir the mixture until the eggs are thoroughly cooked. add the egg-vegetable mixture to the beef and stir in the sugar and 1T soy sauce.
5. heat 2T oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the rice until heated through. break up the clumps as much as you can. stir in the beef mixture and the scallion greens.