Is it Orange Beef or Beef with Orange?

Happy Peanut Butter Day! Want to try some orange beef with that? lol
It's been a little hectic here. My husband had knee replacement surgery last week so I've been kept busy. I haven't had much time to really cook. If you know me, you'll know that I am probably my happiest when I am kept busy in the kitchen.
Last night I finally made diner for myself and the family. It felt good, but better yet, it tasted wonderful!
My family loved the Asian inspired pork dish I made the last time, so I wanted to try something else tonight.  I didn't use a cook book, didn't look anything up on the internet, I just went with tastes and what I thought we would like. The end result was actually very good!
I needed to use what I had in the house, there has been no time for shopping.
I made a marinade with 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter, chopped fresh garlic, apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup red wine (it was on the counter and I just dumped it in!) soy sauce, (I didn't measure, just poured) a drizzle of sesame oil, and another drizzle of chili oil, and a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped. I probably didn't need the peanut butter, but once it was in, I was all in!
I marinaded the meat for 2 hours and then dusted each piece lightly with corn starch that I had seasoned with Chinese 5 Spice and ground ginger.  The Beef chunks were "fried" in a wok until they were crispy and browned. I removed the beef to a baking sheet and kept them warm in the oven. The pieces of beef were thick so I knew that they wouldn't get over cooked in the oven.
I deglazed the wok with a small glass of orange juice and a little of the left over marinade. It needed some more liquid so I added a little more soy sauce and water. I zested half an orange and added the zest to the sauce.
I removed the beef from the oven and added it back to the Wok with the sauce and made sure that all sauce touched the beef.
I topped it all with some more orange zest that I had cut into strips.
I served the dish with baby bok choy and steamed white rice.
We were happy!

Note to self: BUY A BIGGER WOK!  This is fun!!!

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Wokking It!

Last night we had a great meal! It was very tasty and delicious and very easy to make. I love Asian style food, and was in the mood for something a little different, so out came the wok. I made everything in it!

This dish is medallions of pork with peppers and onions, broccoli rabe and fried rice. Sometimes I even surprise myself when something comes out this good! LOL!
It really was so simple. Technically, I don't know if anything I did was correct, all I can say is the end result was delicious and everyone went back for seconds!

For the pork you will need...
pork medallions
1 yellow pepper, cut into pieces (see picture above)
1 red pepper, cut into pieces
1 large onion, cut into pieces
corn starch - 2 Tablespoons
Soy Sauce, 2 Tablespoons
2 Tablespoons of water (or Sherry! very yummm)
salt and pepper to taste
Chinese 5 Spices - to taste, at least a teaspoon!
Sesame oil  - 1 tsp
chopped cilantro, 2 Tablespoons

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and make sure that each piece of meat gets a nice even coat of corn starch mixture.
Heat the wok and then add oil. Peanut oil is great to use because it can withstand very high heats without scorching. If you don't have peanut oil, vegetable oil will work just fine.
Add each piece of pork to the heated oil and cook until it get nice color on each side. I would say about 3 minutes on each side. The meat will release itself when it is ready to turn!
Don't over crowd the wok!
After cooking all the pork, add the onions and peppers and a little more oil. If your wok is not big enough to accomodate everything remove the pork and cook the onions and peppers without the pork in the wok. Cook the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes, add the water, deglazing the wok of any yummy stuff left over from cooking the meat, onions and peppers.  If you took out the pork, add the pork back to the wok with the onions and peppers and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and cook for another minute or two. Top with the chopped cilantro and serve!

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine