Since starting work, I have been all about what fast and easy, even more so.
I am meal planning almost all my meals including the boys lunch boxes but to avoid the continual comfortable circle of spag bol, curried sausages and chilli con Carne I am utilising the recipe books that cramp our bookshelf to an inch of their dog eared life.
When I get home from work I have literally 30 minutes to get dinner done from start to finish, however, this is no Jamies 30 minute meals. I am talking one meal and I have a production team of a 9,7 and six-year-old. My patience level is on par with trying to train seals, my success rate on keeping my patience would be better so its got to be quick and easy enough that my production team wont fight over who is doing what.
Notice I said me my kids are all for cooking dinner but after spending hours in a paddock in the hot sun, playing taxi, doing three lots of homework I am not kidding anyone on patience level hand raised its me, not them.
So dinners are fast with the right amount of flavour to please a kid fussier than a vegan in a Crèmerie and is done in less than 30 minutes to keep mum happy and on schedule to keep her from losing her cool.
This is an adaptation of Donna Hay’s recipe you can find the original in her Simple Dinners cook book page 102.
Garlic Pepper beef stir fry.
What you will need:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
750g rump steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, sliced
250g green beans, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons beef or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon of corn flour
steamed jasmine rice, to serve
How to:
Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the beef and cook, in batches, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining oil over high heat, add the pepper, chilli and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return the beef to the pan with the green beans, oyster sauce and stock and corn flour and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until warmed though. Serve with steamed rice and basil. Serves 4.
