Black Pepper Beef, Broccoli and Mushroom Stir-fry

There is nothing better to come home to than a hot meal that you can put together and serve up quickly, with minimum effort, yet maximum flavour. This easy beef stir-fry uses Asian store-cupboard ingredients. 

With a little planning, you can have the broccoli and mushrooms on hand to make this dish, but it really isn't necessary. There have been times, when I've made this dish with just beef. Eaten with hot buttered noodles (the organic kind that cooks in under 5 minutes) or leftover rice warmed-up in the microwave, it is enough to satisfy at the end of a busy day. 

The only thing you have to remember to do is to thaw the beef before hand, either in the fridge for a day, or on your kitchen counter-top for a couple of hours.  

BLACK PEPPER BEEF, BROCCOLI & MUSHROOM STIR-FRY

300g to 400g Beef, thinly sliced

Ground Black Pepper 

Honey

Oyster sauce

A small head of Broccoli, cut into florets

6 - 8 White and Brown Button Mushrooms, sliced

A small knob Ginger, sliced

1 clove Garlic, sliced

Half medium Red Onion, sliced

Salt to taste

Sesame Seed Oil

A tablespoon of Roasted Peanuts (optional)

Some Peanut Oil for cooking

Slice Beef and marinate in Black Pepper, Honey and Oyster Sauce - to taste - for about half an hour. Heat two tablespoons of Peanut Oil in a wok. When it is hot, throw in Ginger, Garlic and Onions.

Saute for a few seconds, then add in Broccoli and Mushrooms. Add Salt to taste. Toss in wok for about a minute and remove from the heat into a bowl while the Broccoli is still dark green in colour. Wipe the wok clean.

Add two more tablespoons of Peanut Oil into the wok. When hot, add in the marinated Beef and toss till just cooked through, about a minute or so.

Once Beef is cooked through, add in the Broccoli and Mushrooms. Drizzle a little Sesame Seed Oil into the wok and add in the Roasted Peanuts. Quickly toss everything together and serve immediately with hot buttered noodles or rice. 

Broccoli Salad

I suppose I should call it Let's-Use-Up-What's-In-The-Fridge-And-Larder-Salad, because that's what this was really about. A bunch of broccoli lying in the fridge; a pack of walnuts in the larder; some almost sad looking golden raisins and the bacon that I'd forgotten about.

I have also in recent days, received an 'inheritance' of sorts from friends. Part of the 'inheritance' included a bottle of Walnut Oil. I have been waiting to try with something, and this was the something. While it isn't exactly a salad that most people would call healthy, it certainly was yummy!

It is Sunday after all. Everyone is supposed to have some treat or other on Sunday before the hectic work week starts, so this was a treat to myself. This AND the five Rose Biscuits I've eaten today. Shhhh... don't tell anyone. 

BROCCOLI SALAD

A head of Broccoli

A handful of Golden Raisins

A handful of Walnuts

Some Back Bacon 

Roasted Nuts salad dressing

Walnut Oil

Cut Broccoli into florets. Blanch in hot slightly-salted water, drain and refresh in cold water. Put them  into the bowl you will be eating from. Chop and toast the Walnuts. Dice and fry the Bacon till crisp in a little sunflower oil. Place cooked Bacon on kitchen towels to drain-off as much oil as possible.  Sprinkle Raisins, Walnuts and Bacon over the Broccoli. Drizzle the salad with one tablespoon each of Roasted Nut dressing and Walnut Oil.

Eat!