January 6, 2016 was Gran’s 105th birthday. I am sure if she was still with us, she would be as spry as ever. I miss her so much, her laugh, her sense of humor and her very love of life. I get up in the mornings and feel as if I have been drug behind a truck, but she never complained. She always said, “You rest, you rust.” She never did, right up to the end.
Another great saying I came across recently was from President Theodore Roosevelt. He said, “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” That described Gran and Mom. They were two very strong and courageous women, I miss them greatly.
With each passing year I find myself looking back on things from the past. It feels more comfortable to me than the present. The conflict and strife going on in the world today is hard to keep up with. Families fighting each other, countries detonating hydrogen bombs, politicians fighting, it seems as if the whole world is getting ready to implode.
I don’t like conflict and strife and I know the world is not perfect, but it is the only one we have. So many beautiful things in nature and all we hear is how we are destroying everything. It seems we, as a society, cannot touch anything unless we are trying to kill it. Momma Said, “I yearn for a simpler time, no video death games, no cell phones, no computers, just people talking to people. I miss my mom.”
Sorry to be so glum, but if we don’t do something constructive soon, I think it is going to be too late. So let’s go to the kitchen and make something tasty to eat. I hope you enjoy.
CHINESE BEEF WITH HONEY AND BLACK PEPPER SAUCE
Serves: 3-4
INGREDIENTS
Sauce
· 3 tbsp soy sauce
· 3 tbsp honey
· 1½ tbsp oyster sauce
· 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry (or substitute with chicken or beef stock)
· 2 tbsp water
· 1 tsp roughly crushed black pepper (or ½ tsp freshly ground pepper)
Stir Fry
· 1½ tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable or canola oil)
· 1 garlic clove, crushed
· 1 small onion, sliced (or ½ large onion)
· 1 lb thinly sliced flank, rump, sirloin, fillet or any other cut of steak suitable for stir frying (Check Notes 1 & 2)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Whisk together the Sauce ingredients then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy based skillet over high heat until it is smoking.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until the onion becomes translucent. Keep it moving so the garlic doesn’t burn.
4. Add the beef and stir fry for 40 seconds to 1 minute until just cooked to your liking (depending on the size of the pieces, how heavy based your wok is, strength of stove). Remove beef and onion onto a plate.
5. Turn the heat down to medium high. Pour the Sauce ingredients into the wok. It will start simmering very quickly. Let it cook for 1 minute or so until it becomes syrupy – the bubbles will be larger and caramel color.
6. Add the beef and onion back into the wok, along with any juices pooled on the plate. Toss in the sauce until just warmed through – 1 minute at most. Don’t overcook the beef – that would be tragic!
7. Serve immediately with rice.
NOTES
1. This recipe is not suitable for cuts like chuck, brisket, ribs or other slow cooking beef cuts.
2. Cut against the grain – When you look at the beef, you will see that the fibers are mostly going in the same direction. When slicing the beef, cut “against the grain” which means cutting the beef 90 degrees to the direction of the fibers. This will produce the most tender beef.
3. Tenderizing the beef: Because the beef is flash fried separately from the sauce, this ensures the beef stays tender and juicy. However, if you would like to use the technique used by restaurants to “velvet” (tenderize) the beef, then combine the slices of beef with ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp oil. Marinade for 30 minutes, then use as per this recipe. I rarely tenderize the beef for this recipe.