Stir-fried beef w/caramelized broccoli and quinoa

A hastily taken photo – I was hungry and my food was hot!

Here’s a recipe I posted back in June. Had just one comment (thank you Jenn). So, I’m thinking, why not do it again. We needed a green veg for dinner last night and we both like this way of preparing broccoli. The next question was what to have as a protein. Found some quinoa in the pantry and put that on the menu. My pet peeve about broccoli is how difficult I have found it to get it to the table nice and hot. It doesn’t seem to retain heat very well. This method solves the problem pretty successfully.

Quinoa is a perplexing thing. The package tells you to use 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa. Then simmer it 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Well, the liquid doesn’t absorb. You have to drain it. Each time I make it I use less broth (I prefer broth to water). Last night’s was 1 2/3 cups to just under a cup of quinoa. It still required draining, but there was relatively little liquid left.

So I ended up with 2/3 pound top sirloin and I reproduced a stir-fry from a few months ago.

Spicy beef stir-fry with caramelized broccoli

Coating:
2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin

1 tablespoons dried chile flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Beef Stir-Fry

10 oz. beef fillet (tenderloin)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 pinch sea salt

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

1 spring onion, finely sliced (green part reserved for garnish)

To make the spicy coating: Mix all the ground cumin, dried chile flakes, black pepper, and salt, on a plate.

Mix the rice wine and soy sauce together in a small bowl.

To make the beef: Prepare the fillet by hammering it with a meat mallet, or the side of a Chinese cleaver.

Slice the beef into wafer-thin slices, and coat the pieces in the spice mix.

Heat a wok or pan over high heat and add the peanut oil. Add the beef and stir-fry for less than 1 minute until browned and tender. Remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.Add a little more oil to the wok. Stir-fry bell onions and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Add bean sprouts and bell pepper and cook, tossing constantly, for a couple of minutes. Add noodles and beef, rice wine and soy sauce, and toss to heat.Serve immediately with the scallion greens as garnish.

Caramelized broccoli
1 broccoli crown
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes (optional)

Cut off the broccoli stem, trim it and cut off the outside layer. Reduce it to 1” pieces or so. Cut the florets into 1” pieces.

Heat olive oil and butter over medium (5 on my 1-10 dial) until the butter is melted and looks about to begin browning. Add the broccoli stem pieces and sauté for 2 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the pan and the red pepper if using. Add the florets and sauté, without stirring, until the bottom side begins to brown. Flip them over and do the same to the other side. Total cooking time will be about 6 minutes, give or take. Serve at once.

Quinoa salad with black olives and garbanzos

The redux revolution continues. I'm hoping I get to cook something in the next day or so. In the meantime, please (try to) enjoy another of my older efforts, once again never read or commented on by anyone.

Here's how it went:

I invented this concoction a couple of months ago but only got around to making it 2 days ago. Of course it evolved between conception and execution. This end result is a truly lovely dish to accompany the protein of your choice or just to be a stand-alone lunch (maybe with some crusty bread).

I chose the small olives so that I didn’t feel I had to cut them up – thus saving a little time. It is not essential to toast the garbanzos, but they do take on a nutty tastiness if you do toast them. I love cumin. However, maybe you don’t. Try adding a bit of fresh oregano or thyme or basil or all three.

Quinoa is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese.

Quinoa salad w/black olives and garbanzos

1 14.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and dried

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced

1 serrano pepper, ½ seeded, ½ not seeded

2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup quinoa

1 ¾ cup chicken broth

1 14.5 oz. can small black olives, drained, rinsed, and dried

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

juice of ½ lemon

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped (optional)

Place the garbanzos in a non-stick pan large enough to hold them in one layer. Toast over medium heat until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the shallot, Serrano pepper and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes or until softened.Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer slowly about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the quinoa to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.To the bowl add olives, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and mint (if using). Toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Allow to come to room temperature. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

Pork burgers

We were excited to have a batch of fiddlehead ferns still to enjoy. I did a freezer inventory (I’d gotten way behind) and when I found a package of pork I went for pork burgers. The pork was some kind of chop cut but was quite fatty. I trimmed it thoroughly and ground it in the food processor. Then I put in everything I could think of for flavor.

Along with the ferns we had some real nice quinoa. I don’t know why I don’t cook quinoa more ofter – it’s supposedly very healthful and it cooks very much like rice. Here’s a caveat though. The last two times I’ve cooked it, the proportion of 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa (from the package instructions) seems wrong. It’s supposed to cook in 15 minutes, but after that time the liquid wasn’t absorbed. I took the lid off and increased the heat. After a couple of minutes it was better. I still had to use a slotted spoon to serve it. The next time I’m going to change the proportion to about 1 cup quinoa to 1 2/3 cup broth or water.

Pork burgers (for 2)
14 oz. ground pork
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp each powdered garlic and onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
Cheese (optional)

Mix everything in a bowl. Take about a teaspoon’s worth and nuke it for 20 seconds and taste for seasoning. Form the pork mixture into 2 burgers.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When hot, add the burgers. Cook about 5 minutes per side. After flipping the burgers put slices of cheese on top if you wish. We used fontina.

Quinoa salad with toasted garbanzos and black olives

I invented this concoction a couple of months ago but only got around to making it 2 days ago. Of course it evolved between conception and execution. This end result is a truly lovely dish to accompany the protein of your choice or just to be a stand-alone lunch (maybe with some crusty bread).

I chose the small olives so that I didn’t feel I had to cut them up – thus saving a little time. It is not essential to toast the garbanzos, but they do take on a nutty tastiness if you do toast them. I love cumin. However, maybe you don’t. Try adding a bit of fresh oregano or thyme or basil or all three.

Quinoa is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Manganese.

Quinoa salad w/black olives and garbanzos
1 14.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and dried
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 serrano pepper, ½ seeded, ½ not seeded
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup quinoa
1 ¾ cup chicken broth
1 14.5 oz. can small black olives, drained, rinsed, and dried
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped (optional)

Place the garbanzos in a non-stick pan large enough to hold them in one layer. Toast over medium heat until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the shallot, Serrano pepper and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes or until softened.

Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer slowly about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the quinoa to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

To the bowl add olives, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and mint (if using). Toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Allow to come to room temperature. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.