Cooking with Blobby

This time, I might have a winner.

I don't think the prep time should be as laborious as I made it the first go round, but I think that is generally the case with most cooking or baking. It's kind of like sex - once you get it down, it goes easier the next time. 

Pepper Steak and Celery "stir-fry",  

Yeah - I coulda used the wok, but I didn't. So I'm not sure technically it is stir-fry, though I did stir. 

As it is "stir-fry" it's all about the prep, because cooking happens fast and you don't have time to do certain things while your at the stove. Prep everything (or as much as possible) before you ever turn on a burner. It's what takes the time. 

Ingredients 

Yield: 4 servings (I'm going with 3, not 4)

1 pound sirloin, skirt or hanger steak, set in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm 

Salt 

2 teaspoons pepper 

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1 teaspoon light brown or granulated sugar 

1 lemon 

2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil 

5 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced on a bias 

3 garlic cloves, finely grated 

3 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

Preparation 

Put your skirt steak in he freezer for 10-15 minutes, as it will make it easier to cut. 

Step 1 Using your chef’s knife, slice the chilled beef against the grain into ¼-inch-thick strips about 2 inches long; set aside. 

Step 2 Place the beef in a medium bowl and season with salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add cornstarch and sugar and toss until the beef is thoroughly coated. 

Step 3 Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemon in wide strips; set the peels aside then cut the lemon in half. 

Yeah - this kind of fucked up for me. The lemon was juicy and all, but not super firm. The peeler did not take wide strips at all. It came out to pieces. But all the aromatics and celery got diced up and ready to go when needed. 

I'm not sure when grated garlic has become a thing, but so many recipes call for it. Normally, I'd just mince or press it, but I grated it this time. I'm not sure it made a difference. 

Step 4 Set a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high. When the pan is very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Using tongs, add half the beef to the pan in a single layer and cook, without stirring or tossing, until deeply brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. The pieces at the edges of the pan will brown faster than the ones in the center, so flip those first. Flip and cook on the other side until no longer pink, about 20 seconds. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces. 

Step 5 After transferring the second batch of browned beef to the plate, pour the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the pan and add the celery, garlic, scallion whites and reserved lemon peels. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring often, until the scallions have slightly softened, about 1 minute. 

 

Step 6 Return the beef and any juices to the pan and add the soy sauce and butter. Cook, tossing until you have a smooth sauce that coats the steak, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon half and toss once more. 

I fucked up one thing - hence the prep for next time - I forgot to add the butter. The sauce was fine without, but I think it would have made it better with butter. 

Step 7 Transfer stir-fry to a platter and top with scallion greens; serve with remaining lemon half.

It had great flavor. The steak was well cooked and flavourful. 

The one drawback is the oil and the high temp. SPLATTERS. I mean, everywhere. Perhaps the wok would have mitigated that a bit, but I wasn't happy with that. Stove. Counters. Floors. 

I loved the dish. So did 710 - and he's not a fan of celery in foods.  

Now that I know how to prep, next time it will be faster. I won't waste time hand grating garlic. A lot of it you can do well in advance and just throw together at the stove. 

I served over rice, because it seemed like the thing to do, but I suppose if you're cutting out starch you wouldn't need to have it present.