Beef Stir Fry

I had a dream last night that I went to Martha Stewart's house and didn't bring a dish prepared. I brought the fixings for antipasto (probably a held-over thought from watching Barefoot Contessa yesterday), forgot to bring a platter and made Martha Stewart go through her cupboards to find me the right dish. Funny thing was, she didn't have a good platter selection. I'm thinking I was dreaming about a fake Martha Stewart.

Between another cross-country ski trip and feeling less-than optimal upon my return, I haven't done much cooking this week. This gives me a great opportunity to catch up on some posts.

Last week, R had exams. In a fit of domesticacy (is that a word?), I decided that the difference between an A and a B could be a good meal. So, I searched around for a good looking beef stir fry and found this.

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients



1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 small head of brocoli
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin 2-inch strips
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
rice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the plum sauce, ginger, soy sauce and pepper flakes; set aside.



In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil until no longer pink;



remove and keep warm.



In the same pan, stir-fry the red pepper, broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic until tender.



Return beef to the pan.



Whisk the plum sauce mixture; stir into skillet. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in peanuts.







Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.