Harvest Delights

I have a recipe to share, inspired by a good friend and our garden. Our family requests it at least once a week and it 's inexpensive even if you don't have a garden. I decided to share this recipe now, before the harvest-y season is over!

The best way to learn is a demonstration from the chef herself. But here's my written version of what she taught me. Don't be turned off by the noodles - there's a "secret" way to cook them and it turns out amazing.

Mariah's Stir Fry

2-4 TBS cooking oil
2-4 TBS sesame oil
1/2 to 1 lb raw beef, cut into strips then bite-size pieces
1-2 cups carrots, cut into sticks (or quartered baby carrots)
1-2 cups broccoli, cut (raw or frozen)
3-4 pkgs Ramen noodles (we prefer 2 beef & 2 oriental)

In large skillet, heat the cooking oil and half of the sesame oil over medium heat. Add meat, stirring constantly, until just browned. Add the vegetables to the skillet, stir, and put a lid on to steam.

In separate pot, boil water for the noodles. Before opening the packages, break up ramen noodles, then remove seasoning packets. Add all noodles to pot at once. Boil them only until they can be separated with a fork, then quickly drain. (Do NOT cook them until soft!)

Steam and stir meat and vegetables until tender. This should be about the same time that the noodles are done. Add the drained noodles to the skillet, then drizzle the noodles with the remaining 1-2 TBS sesame oil. Sprinkle the ramen seasoning packets over the noodles. Mix everything together in the skillet, removing from heat if necessary. It should look something like the picture above. Enjoy!

A few notes that I think are important:
1. The sesame oil is essential - it smells amazing. Don't try to skip it - it's easy to buy, on the top shelf of the oils or oriental sections of most grocery stores.
2. For the meat, you could buy stir fry meat. Or save lots of money by buying a cheap roast and cut it up yourself. I cut, divide, and freeze in ziploc bags. (A few times I took a sale roast to the meat counter at the store and convinced the guys to cut it for me - sometimes they will if they're not busy. Just don't say "stir fry size" or they'll point you in the direction of their expensive pre-cut stir fry meat. If all else fails, cut it yourself. You ARE getting it for sale.)
3. You can use any vegetables. I think Mariah uses an onion but our family didn't do well with that. It looks like I used a broccoli/cauliflower combo in the picture. If you're using frozen veggies, you may want to thaw a little to speed cooking time.
4. If your family doesn't like ramen noodles, no worries. Ben didn't believe that's what it was the first time he ate it. Just make sure you don't cook them past the point of separation.
5. This recipe should probably feed 6-8 adults. Our family of five manages to devour it. The plate above is MY serving. =o) I'm sure I could rethink the portion sizes. It makes yummy leftovers too. Sometimes I add or subtract a package of noodles, if we have more or less people.

Now back to the garden part of my story. Two months ago I harvested my carrots. Cut tops, dug up, laid out, sprayed off, and peeled. Standard procedure. But then a friend couldn't believe I was taking the time to cut the carrots into tiny sticks. Why not just chop them into circles and can them like everyone else does? -- Because they are for Mariah's Stir Fry!

After testing during previous years, I decided this shape is essential. And freezing the carrots rather than canning keeps them crisper. The bowls in the picture above are HUGE - that's enough carrots to eat stir fry once a week for a year! (Which we will.) I assume there is a cutting tool out there that would cut the carrots like this (matchsticks?) but in the meantime I will continue to take FOUR TIMES longer than the average carrot-harvester to prepare my carrots my way.

Maybe you're not convinced enough to try this recipe. (Maybe Mariah will demonstrate for you?) But if you go out to our freezer, you will find perfectly measured bags of blanched carrots and cut meat, ready to be thawed and thrown in the skillet for a fifteen minute stir fry.

That's something I'm thankful for at this time of year!

(A couple more harvest recipes are coming soon...)