Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

Made this and Minh said it "tasted like his Mom's"

Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

Ingredients:

Beef Marinade:

1.5 lbs beef sirloin (or any cut you like) cut into 1″ cubes

2 tbs minced garlic

1.5 tbs sugar

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

1 ts thick soy sauce

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1.5 tbs sugar

1/2 tbs salt

Dipping Sauce:

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 ts kosher salt

1/2 ts fresh cracked pepper

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 bunches of watercress, long stems trimmed

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Cooking oil for frying

Method:

Prepare marinade by combining garlic, oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, thick soy sauce and sesame oil with the beef for at least half an hour, preferably 1-2 hrs.

Prepare vinaigrette by mixing rice vinegar with salt and sugar. It should be a balance of sour, salty and sweet.

Thinly slice the red onion and use about 3-4 tbs of the vinaigrette to pickle and set aside covered in fridge for about 10 minutes. Prepare bed of watercress and tomatoes in a serving platter and set aside.

Heat a large wok or pan over high heat. Add about 2 tbs cooking oil and when it begins to smoke, add an even layer of beef and allow to sear for about 2 minutes, before “shaking” to sear the opposite sides for about another 1-2 minute more to brown all the sides.  Do this in batches to cook all the beef if necessary.

Transfer beef to bed of watercress and tomatoes. Drizzle another 3-4 tbs of vinaigrette over the beef and greens and top with pickled red onions. Lastly, squeeze lime juice over salt and pepper in a small ramekin.

Cook’s Note:

We like our beef medium rare and test the meat by touch and sight–it will plump up slightly and be bouncy to the touch with a spatula.

Penne a la Betsy

From the Pioneer Woman website.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
•  Fresh Parsley, to taste 
•  Fresh Basil - To Taste
•  Salt To Taste
•  Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Beef with Snow Peas

This is a fast and easy weeknight dinner. You really need to let the meat brown in the hot pan without touching it to get it nicely carmelized.

Ingredients

• 1 - 1/2 pounds flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp sherry
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 8 ounces snow peas, ends trimmed
• 5 whole scallions, cut into half-inch pieces on the diagonal
• salt, as needed
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• crushed red pepper, for sprinkling
• Jasmine or long grained rice

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Pour half the liquid over the sliced meat in a bowl and toss with hands. Reserve the other half of the liquid. Set aside.Heat oil in a heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Turkey Tacos

These are really good but I can't get the kids to eat them. You can use ground beef but I prefer ground turkey.

Beef Tacos (from Cook's Illustrated)

Makes 8 tacos

Beef Filling

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped small (about 2/3 cup)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons vinegar (preferably cider)
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and brown sugar; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking up meat so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened (mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Using a wide, shallow spoon, spoon mixture into taco shells.

Slow-Roasted Beef

From Cooks Illustrated. Serves 4 to 8. Try not to open the oven door too much; don't want heat to escape.

1 (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pound) boneless eye-round roast
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pepper

1. Season all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels; rub with 2 teaspooons oil and season all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat registers 115 degrees (for medium rare), 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or 125 degrees (for medium), 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours.
3. Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening the door, until meat registers 130 degrees (for medium-rare) or 140 degrees (for medium), 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat as thin as possible and serve.

Hot Artichoke Dip

From Best of Bridge.

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash lemon juice

Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve with crackers of tortilla chips for dipping.

*** I've also added a can of crab to this and it was really good.

Layered Crab Dip

From Best of Bridge.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. grated onion
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup chili or cocktail sauce
7 ounce can crab meat
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Mix onion, cheese, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice together. Spread in a shallow serving dish. Spread chili sauce over top. Drain and rinse crab and spread over chili sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with assorted crackers.