Beef with Broccoli

Over the past few months I have been totally swamped with work. As a freelance writer and translator, sometimes things are busy and sometimes they are slow, but when they are busy I have to take advantage of the opportunity to earn a little bit of extra money. So, even though I have been cooking and photographing some delicious meals, I haven't spent very much time posting them on the blog. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on your point of view), things have slowed down a little bit lately so I have time to share a few more recipes. This is a beef with broccoli that I made sometime last month. It was just another step in my plan to become an expert chinese food chef, which hasn't really worked out very well for me so far. But I still really liked the meal and, interestingly, I felt like the leftovers were even better than the original dinner. I have the source recipe that I used, which I think might have come from about.com (sorry - it has been so long I just don't remember).

1 lb thin flank steaks, cut into strips

Marinade:

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp water

Other:

1 cup peanut oil

1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Combine the beef and marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Make sure that the beef is thoroughly coated and marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you marinate it for any longer than that, put it in the refrigerator. Prepare the sauce in a separate bowl and set aside. Steam the broccoli. Preheat the oil in a wok or large skillet on medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, or until the beef is almost entirely cooked. Remove the beef from the wok and drain on paper towels. Pour excess oil out of the wok. If necessary, add 1-2 Tbsp more oil. Add broccoli and beef to the wok. Stir in sauce and the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring until it has thickened. Serve over rice.

Shredded Beef Flautas

Over the past few months, I have expanded my repertoire of Mexican cuisine considerably. Actually it all started when I ordered the "Mexican pack" from Bountiful Baskets at the end of August. It was really fun to make interesting foods that I hadn't ever tried before. Also, I have been surprised at how easy it is to make things like taquitos and chimichangas from scratch - for some reason it never occurred to me that I could make them at home rather than buying them in the freezer section at the grocery store - and I have to say that I highly recommend it. These flautas are very similar to taquitos. The main difference is that taquitos are wrapped in a corn tortilla and flautas are wrapped in a flour tortilla.

1 - 1 1/2 lb. chuck roast
1 cup beef broth
cumin
oregano
coriander
salt and pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
flour tortillas
cheddar cheese

You can bake this meat in the oven or in a slow cooker. If you do it in the oven, set the oven at about 325° and let it cook for 3-4 hours, checking occasionally. If the amount of liquid is low, add more broth. In a slow cooker, it should be cooked on high for at least 3-4 hours or on low for at least 6-8 hours. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked, use two forks to shred it. Add additional seasoning if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375° and begin preparing the flautas. Place a small amount of cheese in the center of the tortilla. Top with shredded beef and roll the tortilla. Place each flauta seam-side down on a well-greased cookie sheet. Before baking them, brush oil over the top of each flauta (you can also use cooking spray). Bake for 8-10 minutes and then turn them over and bake for 5-6 more minutes or until golden brown. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.