Beef & Broccoli

Now before I tell you that I didn't really like this dish, let me tell you that I don't really like beef. Beef and I have a strange relationship. When I was 13, I stopped eating meat cold turkey (why don't they call it cold beef?) and did not venture back into the world of chicken until I was about 22. From there, I would try the odd beef dish but found that the idea of beef was better than the actual taste.

At this point in my life, I will get a hankering for a steak approximately 2-3 times a year. It's got to be an expensive steak, loaded in BBQ sauce and cooked medium well. I want it cooked at home, not in a restaurant but I don't like to be the one that cooks it either.

In terms of trying new beef recipes, it is rare but once in a while I come across something that I know Jason would like and the ingredients just sound so wonderful together and the picture is masterpiece, that I must try it.

That brings us to the Beef & Broccoli recipe that a few of my friends have shared on Pinterest. Wonderful ingredients? Check! Mouthwatering picture? Check!

Beef with Broccoli

Marinade

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips

Ingredients

• 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour (gluten free blend)
• 1 tbsp sherry (I've never had sherry in my life - I used 1tbsp ginger-ale)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only
• I had some chopped mushrooms in the fridge so threw them in as well
• Because I wanted this recipe to be something it wasn't, I added some minced ginger

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

4. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes (more like 10 if you're paranoid about raw beef hiding underneath all that dark sauce), stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve.

My Review: Perhaps it was my strange addition of ginger-ale and ginger that didn't work in this recipe but I wasn't a huge fan. Around step #3, when the beef was added to the pan, I felt like the sauce immediately dissipated and left burnt hunks of garlic and ginger in its place. I had to keep adding squirts of water to keep everything saucy while the beef continued to cook.

It also could have been the fact that I think I was expecting ginger beef - not beef & broccoli. I was so confused at the lack of ginger, that I just added it anyways. I realize now that these are 2 separate dishes.

It was not horrible and I did eat some leftovers for lunch. Just not what I was expecting I suppose.

Jason's Review: Jason really liked this dish and said it tasted exactly how beef and broccoli was supposed to taste - I chose to not really believe him. He indulged in some leftovers with me however so that's always a good sign. Pin It Now!

Now before I tell you that I didn't really like this dish, let me tell you that I don't really like beef. Beef and I have a strange relationship. When I was 13, I stopped eating meat cold turkey (why don't they call it cold beef?) and did not venture back into the world of chicken until I was about 22. From there, I would try the odd beef dish but found that the idea of beef was better than the actual taste.

At this point in my life, I will get a hankering for a steak approximately 2-3 times a year. It's got to be an expensive steak, loaded in BBQ sauce and cooked medium well. I want it cooked at home, not in a restaurant but I don't like to be the one that cooks it either.

In terms of trying new beef recipes, it is rare but once in a while I come across something that I know Jason would like and the ingredients just sound so wonderful together and the picture is masterpiece, that I must try it.

That brings us to the Beef & Broccoli recipe that a few of my friends have shared on Pinterest. Wonderful ingredients? Check! Mouthwatering picture? Check!

Beef with Broccoli

Marinade

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips

Ingredients

• 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour (gluten free blend)
• 1 tbsp sherry (I've never had sherry in my life - I used 1tbsp ginger-ale)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only
• I had some chopped mushrooms in the fridge so threw them in as well
• Because I wanted this recipe to be something it wasn't, I added some minced ginger

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

4. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes (more like 10 if you're paranoid about raw beef hiding underneath all that dark sauce), stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve.

My Review: Perhaps it was my strange addition of ginger-ale and ginger that didn't work in this recipe but I wasn't a huge fan. Around step #3, when the beef was added to the pan, I felt like the sauce immediately dissipated and left burnt hunks of garlic and ginger in its place. I had to keep adding squirts of water to keep everything saucy while the beef continued to cook.

It also could have been the fact that I think I was expecting ginger beef - not beef & broccoli. I was so confused at the lack of ginger, that I just added it anyways. I realize now that these are 2 separate dishes.

It was not horrible and I did eat some leftovers for lunch. Just not what I was expecting I suppose.

Jason's Review: Jason really liked this dish and said it tasted exactly how beef and broccoli was supposed to taste - I chose to not really believe him. He indulged in some leftovers with me however so that's always a good sign.