Saturday, October 24, 2009

Changing the taste of stir fry

I have a love/hate relationship with stir fry. Tradtionally, stir fry is made with a lot of veggies and a little meat, cooked in a wok with peanut oil (versus olive oil or butter), and served over rice. I've had some pretty bland stir frys in my lifetime, so the dish as a whole is usually not that appealing to me. However, I am trying to change that - slowly. Because of the great deal I found at the supermarket earlier this week, I decided to give the entree another whirl, but with my own (inexpensive) twists. For starters, I bought choice round boneless stewing beef for $2.15 (the other varieties of beef surrounding it were in the $3 to $5 range). I then cooked the beef and veggies with olive oil instead of peanut, and enjoyed some instant mashed potatoes on the side instead of rice, for two reasons: one, I didn't have any rice in the house, and two, because it was bitter cold outside and I was in the mood for some comfort food. Below is the recipe for my latest go at stir fry. Did I mention I cooked this in under 20 minutes, too?



Simple Beef Stir Fry
Yields: 2 servings

-1 package choice round boneless stewing beef
-1 1/2 cups of Hannaford Stir Fry Mix (peppers & onions)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
-1 tbsp jarred minced garlic
-Red wine of your choice (I used a Porto Tawny)
-Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a saute pan or wok. Add beef, and season with salt and pepper. Cook meat for 4-7 minutes, depending on how rare you like it. Add garlic, and a small pour of red wine (1 tbsp or so - helps create a sauce). Cook off wine for 1 minute, then add veggies and crushed red pepper. Cook for another two minutes, and serve over mashed potatoes (or rice). Enjoy!

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