Makin' Dinner

Hey Tia Fia-

So- I just started makin' dinner again. I was totally thrown off by our weekend in CL last week. Like an autistic kid, I got fussy and inconsolable because my schedule had a slight variation. "Oh MY GOD I wasn't able to paint my toenails the perfect shade of red at exactly 8:30 on Sunday night. My whole week is RUINED!" B heard this refrain a million times punctuated by my foot stomping and crying jags. Last week was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Attractive, right?

So come the next Sunday I'd resolved to "pull myself together." Meaning scoop the litter box and make a meal. These nightly dinners haven't been creative or researched. I've been going on the formula meat+green=dinner. The only problem with this set up is that while I lose all the water weight I gained on my weekend away B wastes away to almost nothing.

Ignoring his needs, this evening I'm continuing with my no bread resolution. The dinner menu is beef and asparagus stir fry. I usually don't get to eat asparagus, but Edgewater Grocery had it for .99 a pound! Although it's extensive and has alot of ingredients this is one of my favorite recipes. (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

1 pound of flank steak (I always get what's cheapest)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dry sherry ( For months I thought the vermouth in the pantry was sherry, B just told me it's not)
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth (if I don't have it I use water)
5 tablespoons of oyster sauce (do NOT think that you can substitute this with fish sauce)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 medium garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (if you use the stuff in a jar make sure it doesn't have added sugar)
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
11/4 aparagus
1/3 cup water
1 small red bell pepper
3 meduim scallions

1. Combine the beef and soy sauce in bowl- let marinate. Whisk the sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the peanut oil in a small bowl.
2. Drain the beef and discard the liquid. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil in 12 inch pan over high heat 'till smoking. Cook beef in batches until browned. Put beef aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the now-empty skillet; heat until smoking. Add the asparagus and cook 30 seconds; add the water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium. Steam the asparagus until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil and let heat 'till smoking. Add the bell pepper and let cook 'till soft and with spotty brown places.
5. Clear the center of the skillet; add the garlic and ginger mixture to the clearing and cook mashing the mixture with a spoon 'till frangrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Return the asparagus and beef to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine; then add to the skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.


Whew! That was alot. I didn't know that writing the recipe down would take so much time. I think I'll open a bottle of wine to celebrate the first posting. Let me know how you're doing.

Love,
Tia Tay