Two quick recipes – Beef is on the menu

April 2, 2020 – Two quick recipes – Beef is on the menu

         My last grocery shopping outing had scant pickings in the meat department.  I was reaching for a package of stew beef for soup or stew and there was NOTHING in the bin.  HMMMMMM, no hamburger either.  I had a choice of a huge roast [for two, nope] and then I reached up and picked up a NY strip steak – but it wasn’t one, it was three individually sealed steaks in one package.  The Price was good at $10.50 [three meals] and I could “stretch” each steak to feed two people with stir fry one night, vegetable soup another night, beef stew or stroganoff or beef and mushrooms a third night.

Stir-Fry Beef with Peppers and Onions

Served over Manischewitz fine egg noodles

Serves two

You really need a WOK pan for this

One NY strip steak, remove any fat and slice thin [1/8^th in wide strips]

One green pepper, washed, deseeded, sliced thin

One medium onion sliced in half, then sliced thin

Two dashes of garlic salt

Sauce:  In a small bowl or glass, mix the following three ingredients together and set aside

1 TB soy sauce

½ cup water

1 TB cornstarch

Manischewitz fine egg noodles

 - see package for directions – they cook fast – 6 to 7 minutes

         Start water to boil for noodles, you’ll drop the dry noodles into the boiling water when you start stir-frying the meat.  [While the water is coming to a boil, you’ll be slicing the first three ingredients.]

Bring a splash of olive oil up to med high heat in a WOK, you’ll see a ripple in the oil.  Drop in meat first, stirring constantly, when the pink has left from the meat, add the green peppers next, continue to constantly stir, lastly add the onions  and couple dashes of garlic salt. Swish all around the pan to toss and cook.  Stay with it, don’t walk away, constantly stir it. [Yes, it does make a difference.] 

When the green peppers are getting a bit charred, you are almost ready to add the soy/water/cornstarch mixture which creates a wonderful sauce.

Give the soy/water/cornstarch another stir and then pour it into the done beef, peppers and onions, stir until the opaque mixture turns translucent, and coats all the ingredients. It takes only seconds with a hot pan. Serve immediately over drained noodles.

You will think you are eating in a Chinese Restaurant.  The secret is in the sauce and the charring of the green peppers.

Trust me, you won’t feel bad that you are “staying at home” and can’t eat out in a restaurant.  Finish the meal with a peeled orange and possibly a clever hand written fortune note, sans cookie.

Beef vegetable soup

[perfect for that rainy day]

Serves two

One NY Strip Steak – diced into small cubes

One onion sliced and diced

Two stalks fresh celery – washed and diced

1 Tb butter

One large carrot or two small carrots,

         Peeled, and quartered and diced

One 14.5 ounce can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes

          with basil, garlic & oregano

1 ½ to 2 cups chicken broth

Do all your slicing and dicing beforehand.

Heat 1 Tablespoon butter in a medium sized sauce pan – medium high heat.

Sauté steak, onions and celery until the butter has absorbed and meat is cooked through. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 30 minutes.

Soup is done when carrots are checked for softness.  Serve with crusty bread if you have some available. Turn off heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Don't skimp on the butter, it gives the soup a 'velvety taste'.