Pepper Beef Stir-Fry with Leeks and Red Pepper

I've been on a major organising kick, new year and cleansing and all that - I've been finding a lot of my inspiration at iheartorganising.  There are a few local shops where I can find bins and baskets and anything else for corralling clutter and they are so close that I can just pop in whenever I need something.  Not wanting to stock up on anything I don't really need I've gone in everyday this week to pick up a few things here and there.  Today, after telling the woman I was organising mad and buying up all the containers in town (in case she recognised me from Monday and Tuesday's multiple trips, I felt I had to explain myself) she then complemented me on the bag I was carrying - it's got a very fun and bright pattern on it and easily recognisable but I haven't seen anyone with a similar one.  She then told me how she'd seen about 3 of them this week.  No lady - it was me.  I wasn't kidding when I said I'd been in the shop everyday this week! (several times).

So it's January and you're sticking to your "eating healthy" resolution - no?  I'm trying, I really am.  I mean, I didn't make that resolution but I try to eat healthy on a regular (somewhat regular) basis.  I love a stir-fry; a great way to get loads of veggies and protein and monitor the carbs.  I usually make my own sauce but it often only involves a splash of soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and a sprinkling of whatever spices I feel like at the time.  I picked up this cookbook by Hamlyn a few years ago in a discount bookstore (I've tried to find it online with no luck) and it has some great stir-fry ideas inside. 

My husband loves a beef stir-fry but I've always found the meat really chewy - turns out good steak prevents that.  It's a little on the pricey side but only a little is needed and it tastes so good.  And still cheaper than a restaurant!  This recipe called for fillet (which is the only steak we will eat - though not often) but I went for a sirloin because it was cheaper and would serve the same purpose.  It also called for mangetout and spring onions but the supermarket was out so I opted for leeks and spinach for the greens and they worked perfectly - even if the hubs thought the leeks were a "little waxy".

There were a few steps, and a lot of removing and returning things to the pot which I thought might make it less fast (yet still delicious) but it was quick.  First, I got all of my ingredients ready.

I then cooked the red pepper, leek, chilli and ginger until soft and then removed them from the pot.  I kept my cutting board nearby to return the veg (and later the meat) to and from the pot.  I gave it a quick rinse between chopping the meat and adding the cooked food to it but since it's beef I wouldn't be too worried.  If I had been cooking chicken I would have definitely used a fresh dish.

I dry fried the Szechuan pepper and then crushed it using a mortar and pestle.  I had said during the Big Kitchen Cleanout of 2012 (well one of I think 3!) that I would get rid of the mortar and pestle if I hadn't used in in 6 months.  I bought it at least 3 years ago, used it once (it didn't particularly do the job very well) and it sat in the cupboard for ages.  I was tempted to get rid of it last week when I did a charity shop drop off but I'm glad I didn't!

Then I fried the meat with the crushed pepper and once it was all browned I removed it from the pot.  Then came time for the sauce.  I mixed cornflour and water, added soy sauce and sugar and more water and then heated it to a boil.  I cooked the noodles at this point since they only take about 4 minutes.

I returned everything to the pot with the sauce, added the spinach and stir-fried until the spinach had wilted and everything was heated through and served over noodles. 

This served two but to make enough for 4 add more veg and twice the amount of meat but keep the sauce measurements the same.  Ours was really saucy because I followed the directions from the recipe in the book which served 4 but I cut the meat and veg down by half.

Pepper Beef Stir-Fry with Leeks and Red Pepper - adapted from Hamlyn Fast and Delicious serves 2

200 grams sirloin or fillet steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 green chilli, finely chopped and deseeded according to taste (I left them all in - super spicy!)
1 inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 large handful of fresh spinach 
1 tablespoon Szechuan pepper 
1 tablespoon cornflour
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar

1. Place the steak in the freezer for about an hour, until just frozen and then slice thinly.

2. In a large wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add chilli, ginger, leeks and red pepper and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until softened.  Remove the vegetables from the wok and set aside.  Wipe the pan dry with paper towel.

3. Dry fry the Szechuan pepper over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes, tossing gently.  Crush the fried pepper using a mortar and pestle.

4. Heat the rest of the oil in the wok and add the meat and pepper.  Fry on high for about 2 minutes or until all the meat has browned.  Remove and set aside with the vegetables.

5.  Boil a little water in a kettle.  While waiting for the water to boil, add the cornflour to a measuring jug and mix with 2 tablespoons of cold water.  Once blended, add 2 more tablespoons of cold water, soy sauce, and sugar.  Stir and add boiling water to make up to 300ml (1/2 pint).  Pour the sauce into the heated wok and bring to a boil stirring continuously until glossy and thickened.  Return the meat and vegetables to the pan and add the spinach.  Stir-fry until heated through and spinach has wilted.  Serve over rice, noodles or eat on it's own.


 Choose your eating irons!

This stir-fry had a great flavour - very spicy!  It was simple and took less than a half an hour from start to finish.  Excluding the hour it took to slightly freeze the steak, but it made it much easier to slice and I can't believe I hadn't done it before!

Bah-Humbug Steak and Ale Pie

Favourite pub food, hands down, is steak and ale pie!  There's nothing I love better (well, that's a lie...I love a lot of things and people, yes people too) than sitting in a warm pub, near an open fire, with a pint and a hot steak and ale pie, oh and with the husband too.  But let me one up that.  Being able to recreate all of that while wearing comfy pants?  H-E-double-hockey-sticks YES!

I made mine with this Bah-Humbug Ale in honour of my Grinch husband, who holds my Christmas decorations hostage in the attic until he sees fit to have them out (they're too tricky to get down on my own - and there are spiders up there).

Don't let the idea of making pastry put you off.  I have made pastry in the past (and it turned out not too bad I might add) but purely for cost and ease I buy the ready made stuff.  The cost of butter is near enough the cost of ready made pastry and it saves time and effort.  Something I learnt in teaching: decide on your objective and take the steps needed to achieve it.  If your ultimate goal is to make pastry from scratch then, by all means, go for it!  But if what you want is a homemade (bar the pastry) steak and ale pie, then cheat away.  Jamie Oliver does!

I used Jus Rol but many grocery stores do their own version. 

I cooked the filling in a large casserole dish (I love my Le Creuset dish - made possible by generous wedding guests, thanks peeps!)  and then divided it among two dishes for individual pies.  This can be made in a large pie dish or lasagna pan and cut into slices to feed a larger crew.  I like to use mushrooms to bulk out the meat (and I like mushrooms - the hubs, not so much). 

Here's a tip - If you don't need all of the pastry, cut the chunk in four and freeze any unused sections (according to packet directions).  I used a quarter section for each pie.  I rolled out my ready-made pastry, draped each sheet over the individual dishes and brushed a little milk on them.

They were in the oven for about 20 minutes.  And then, with a fire roaring and snuggled in my comfy pants (actually I think I was in full on pyjama mode, the ones with little doggies on them) we feasted!  Plates were cleared (except for a few unwanted mushrooms from a certain so and so).

Steak and Ale Pie serves 2 (double or triple on up to feed more!)
350g of stewing steak
6-8 mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch
splash of Worcestershire sauce (even though I know how to pronounce this I always say worse-esther-sher-shiiire sauce)
beef stock cube made according to directions
1 bottle of delicious ale

Brown the meat in a frying pan and then transfer to a casserole dish.
Saute the onions for a few minutes and add the garlic just as the onions begin to brown and fry for a further minute or so.  Add to the casserole dish.
Taste test the ale. (that's a very important step!)
Add mushrooms, a splash of W-sauce, the stock and ale (hopefully you haven't tested the whole bottle)
Top up the casserole dish with water so that all of the contents are covered.  The mushrooms will float ;)

Cover and cook at 180°C for about 2 hours or until meat falls apart and sauce has thickened.  Transfer to individual dishes or pie plate, cover with rolled out pastry, cut a little vent, brush a little milk and cook for a further 20 minutes, bringing the temperature up to 200°C.

Tell me, What is your favourite pub grub?  How are you kicking off the Christmas season?  When will you start decorating?  And don't tell me you started in November...