Spicy Beef Stir Fry

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Liberty 1It’s been a while since I’ve done a recipe with beef in it. I think the last one must have been the Short Ribs back in May. Beef from any vendor at the Central Farm Markets is high quality, fresh and delicious. I got the beef for this recipe from Shane at Liberty Delight Farms. I love using Shane’s product. Having been to the farm twice (once for a general tour, the other to write about his bunny operation), I have a particular partiality to what he represents. I’ve loved seeing him in the thick of things, caring for his animals personally and treating them with the utmost attentiveness, as if he himself is going to be eating the final product. It is that kind of care and attention to detail that makes Liberty Delight Farm such a special vendor for us to have at all three markets. It’s one reason why we love getting to know our farmers, too!SF 2I have spoken before about Nicole at Two Acre Farm. She creates such amazing concoctions with the produce on her little farm- delicious salsa, dressings, and jams. I’m also looking for a way to use one of her unique products in my dishes. When I told her I was planning to do a beef stir fry, she rushed me over to her sauce-tasting tray and told me “you need to use this Vietnamese sauce.” One taste and I knew that this was exactly what I needed for this dish. Its got the perfect amount of sweet and spicy- leaning a little more to the spicy side allows me to use a sweet onions and peppers to balance everything out. I highly recommend you stop by her table to try some of the delicious creations that she spends her week slaving over. She’s also got some delightful little sweet peppers that are great for all kinds of recipes and more importantly, for snacking!SF 3It’s also been a while since I’ve had mushrooms in any of my recipes. I’m not sure why, but I tend to equate mushrooms with fall and winter recipes, though they are available all year. They also aren’t historically my favorite things to eat, but I’m learning. Having the Mushroom Stand at the markets has been a very great learning opportunity for me- I never knew how many varieties of mushrooms could possibly be available to us! I explored the benefits of shiitake mushrooms in a previous recipe last year, and since then I’ve really enjoyed using them as much as possible. The shiitake in this recipe add a nice nutty flavor to the dish.Enjoy this dish with a nice piece of crusty bread from the market or on top of some basmati rice.Serves 4-6, depending on portion size.SF 4

Spicy Beef Stir Fry

Marinade the beef for at least 6 hours the Vietnamese sauce, set aside 3 Tbsp. for future use. Peal, halve, and cut the onion into strips about ¼ inch thick. Wash and core the sweet peppers. Cut into disks about ¼ inch thick. Cut stems off the mushrooms and clean the tops with a dry paper towel. Cut the mushrooms into strips about ¼ inch thick. Thinly slice the garlic. Mince the jalapeno, if using. Slice the skirt steak into strips about ½ inch long then cut them in half.Add 3 Tbsp. oil to a large pan. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onions, and peppers. Cook for 4-6 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp Vietnamese sauce to 1/8 cup of water and add that to the pan (add the minced jalapeno, if using). Coat the veggies evenly with the liquid. Stir continuously until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove veggies from the pan, salt and pepper to taste.Using the same pan you used for the veggies (without cleaning it out), cook the beef. The particular cut of beef and the marinade together will create enough cooking liquid and fat. Cook the beef until done, about 6-8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Either serve the beef on top of the veggies or toss the veggies in with the beef. EnjoySF 5

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