Better Than the Real Thing. Really?

"Asian Buffet down the street is one of the best here in San Antonio."

"Really?"

"I have never had a bad meal, and no one else can come close to cooking anything as tasty."

"Really?"

"Yes.  Have you not read the many reviews about it?  Nobody ever has anything bad to say about it."

"Really?"

"That's right.  Unless YOU think you could do better.  Anyways, what are you...Vietnamese?"

"Really?"

"If I were to say, maybe, Garlic Chicken, I bet you couldn't make a recipe that good.  Or even Broccoli Beef, much less, say, a really good Fried Rice.  I invented the fried rice that they use down the street."

"Okay.  You need to leave my office now.  Have a good day."

Almost verbatim, this conversation I just had with some poor ignorant woman who obviously forgot to take her meds.  (This is the same woman who says that even though she pays her phone bill, the bears and cats that prowl around underground have been clawing up the lines, and that she is the one who invented all of the "stuff in H.E.B.", or that she personally pays George W. Bush his SSDI payments on a monthly basis.)

While I don't take what this poor woman has to say seriously, sadly, I do believe that her words and opinion mirror very closely the sentiments of many naive souls here in San Antonio.  People who live in a community where rice and beans are the primary starch choice, or where the only word that should precede "sauce" is barbeque, enchilada, or tabasco will never really have a true grasp of what the original flavors of authentic Chinese Cuisine are. 

The popularity of Chinese food has created a fascinating phenomenon. With the exception of pizza, it is the most widely recognized food available, and its recognizability comes both from the various flavor profiles as well as its presentation.  As extensively as it is eaten, it is written about in newspapers, magazines and books, and presented on television. It is discussed to such a degree that most people believe they know just about all there is to know about Chinese food.

Those who write about it and others who present it, generally do so with confidence but more often than not do so with arrogance and ignorance. They allow us, their audience, to believe that they, too, know just about all that there is to know about this great historic kitchen when in reality, they do not. Very few of those who profess such knowledge really know very much. Worse, perhaps, is that in most cases they proceed with ignorance. They do not take the time or the effort, and they seem not to care or learn about Chinese food and cooking.

To add insult to injury, many successful television network stars create their own version of popular dishes, professing them "better than the real thing."  Any creation of a dish that was created by food network for their targeted audience, which  does not include the majority of the Asian population, should NOT be described as better than the real thing.

For the most part, they write about and present time-worn clichés, blatant inaccuracies, information gotten from second- and third-person sources, or from inaccurate translations. Suppositions and ill-founded research become perpetuated. What results is a circle of ignorance regarding Chinese foods, traditions, and preparations.

The resulting information as to what Chinese food is, when it is not, ends up being the general perception, hence the misguided belief that what is not good, is. What are presented below are what Chinese food is thought to be; examples have appeared and continue to appear in newspapers, magazines, or on television. In none of these examples, are names of authors given; the purpose is not to embarrass anyone, rather to hope that those who write about food will devote the time necessary to study what Chinese food is before they write or broadcast what it is not.

Witness the following statements, assertions, and/or conclusions. All are in error even though all are reported as Chinese food fact. Along with them are what I will call occasional notes, in italics, all mine.

* From a magazine food critic who described a dish as 'Cantonese Empanaditas' and really loved the 'Grilled Black Grouper Szechuan.' That type of inattention to detail sends incorrect information regarding menu offerings.  "Empanaditas?"  Isn't that a Spanish word?

* From a television cook who described hoisin as a sauce of 'mostly soybeans, sugar and tomatoes, I think,' and later referring to sambal ulek first as 'Indonesian' and later as 'Malaysian.' Reading what one writes before allowing it to be printed is needed here.

* From a newspaper writer, generally well-regarded, who said 'The dim sum (called Yum Cha in Australia) knocked our socks off.' Yum Cha is a Cantonese phrase meaning 'drink tea;' it has nothing to do with Australia.

* From a magazine writer discussing cooking in Shanghai: 'Duck is the mainstay of the eastern provinces.' For the record, Shanghai is a city, not a province. And this from a magazine writer: 'Shanghai region is partial to chicken dishes.' Look; this city now becomes a region!

* From a magazine writer: 'Chinese foods are most often fried in cottonseed oil.' Currently, rapeseed oil is popular in China; in the United States, soy bean oil is used more frequently.

* From a television presenter, after dropping more than a spoonful of MSG into a wok, as he demonstrated: 'It's natural. They always use it.' No, it is not always used, and certainly not by a teaspoon full of it.

* References, too numerous to count, are made to 'Mandarin' cooking or cuisine or to 'Mandarin' restaurants, as a school of Chinese cooking. There is no such school of Chinese cooking.

* An article about Fujian food contains recipes that are not from Fujian, likewise one about the cooking of Chiu Chow. A restaurant review is presented about supposed Hakka food when the dishes reviewed are not Hakka. Likewise, an article on Asian green vegetables that misstates their properties and tastes, but which were beautifully photographed. In this country, foods from Boston would not be touted as Texan; why such ignorance about China, or about properties or tastes?

* From a food magazine quoting a Western teacher of Chinese food. 'Very few Chinese can cook dishes from other regions than their own'... (the) 'food of native Cantonese chefs is usually bland.' This was followed by an assertion, 'I know how to teach them what they need to know. I have never met a Chinese-born instructor who does.' Aside from the obvious prejudice of this one, it surely is most outrageous.

* From a newspaper writer on the cooking of the Chinese-Malay people of Singapore known as Nonya, when describing what a 'rempeh' is, said it was 'A spice mixture called rempeh cooked like a roux, (it) is a base for most curries and sauces.' It is not rempeh but rather rempah and it contains pounded raw ingredients, which when cooked are referred to as sambal.

* From a food critic who loved a 'flavorful and densely packed eggroll.' The eggroll is not Chinese, the spring roll is.

* From another writer who suggested that a 'Spring Egg Roll'...(is) 'similar to a typical egg roll.' Ignorance is bliss in this case, don't you think?

* From a magazine writer who described Hunan as 'China's rice-producing province.' Geography and agriculture lessons needed here; as to the latter, all southern provinces raise considerable quantities of rice.

*From a food critic who said she could not make out what a 'water dog' was in the Chinese restaurant she visited. What she reacted to, in ignorance, was the word gow which, depending upon intonation, is either dog, the number nine, or a dumpling. In this case, had she done some work and not opted for a laugh, she would have found that what was referred to as 'soy gow' was a water dumpling, a staple of the 'dim sum' kitchen.

* From a newspaper food writer describing a preparation as 'washed' in a 'sticky, sweet Hoisin style glaze.' Anyone care to take a venture and explain just what that might be?

* That same writer, in the same account, suggests that a dim sum dumpling skin would stretch 'two, even three inches' and that in Peking Duck, the 'fat is hardened' and that crisp-fried seaweed is 'actually deep-fried shredded cabbage.' What is the purpose of stretching and how much dough was stretched? In Peking Duck, rarely is there any fat because most is melted and drained in the roasting of the duck...and it is never served. As to seaweed, it, Chinese broccoli leaves, pearl leaves, and other greens are occasionally deep-fried.

* Nor is this writer alone. Another writer, interviewing a Chinese restauranteur noted that in his restaurant there was 'no cornstarch, no MSG and no gunk' and then actually set down as fact the restauranteur's assertion that all of his food was cooked only with scallions, ginger, garlic, tangerine skin and a 'hint of chili' and 'that's about it.' What is gunk?

* From a magazine writer: 'Fish balls...can make or break a (Chinese) chef.' No one succeeds on one food item, and anyway, fishballs are served only in Chiu Chow, Hakka, and noodle restaurants.

* From another, a critic, who wrote about 'Plum Duck' as a 'lightened-up version of Peking Duck; it is lean and boneless in a beany sauce.' Beany? And, variously we have the 'five' schools of Chinese cooking referred to as 'Canton, Szechuan, Peking, Honan, and Fukien,' or the three as 'Peking, Szechuan, and Hunan.' Then there are such marvelous additions to the pseudo-Chinese table as an authentic 'Chili Crustace Sauce' or 'green oriental radishes,' or 'souffle balls,' even 'Melon balls in ginger ale.' Not to mention the ghastly food called Chinese served up not only in those steam-table, fast-food outlets, but also in such chains as China Coast and Chopstix, to cite just two, or the all-purpose Chinese sauce marketed as 'Soy Vay.' Think you have my point.

* From a cookbook author, whose announced expertise is not Chinese, yet felt she could describe the 'traditional' way of presenting Peking Duck classically....the first course, she said, consisted of skin in a dipping sauce of hoisin, sherry, and sesame oil; the second course 'meat folded into flour doilies;' the third, duck appetizers 'which included the liver and jellied duck webs;' the fourth, a 'thick duck soup.' All of this is so inaccurate as to defy correction. Perhaps that was its intent.

* From another cookbook author, who wrote in a food magazine that prosciutto could be substituted for Yunnan ham. How soft sweet ham can replace hard, salty ham is beyond belief. Also mentioned was Beggar's Chicken as 'roasted' instead of baked, and that it was cooked in a paper oven bag. How far can tradition and adaptation be stretched?

* From another cookbook author who advises that if fresh water chestnuts are not available, then substitute apples. Or another, who suggests that tortillas can be substituted for the pancakes served with Peking Duck and Moo Shu Pork. Read on dear friends.

* What all of the above say is a result of a stunning degree of lack of knowledge, or sadly, an indifference to the properties and tastes of foods that make up the Chinese kitchen. The following are other substitutions, all of them offered in a book alleged to be about Chinese cooking: For bamboo shoots, substitute celery, green peppers, carrots, or rutabaga; for water chestnuts, substitute basically the same; for bean spouts, substitute shredded onions; for brown bean sauce, substitute Bovril; for ginkgo nut or lotus seeds, substitute blanched almonds; and for fermented black beans, substitute salt. Yes, salt.

* From a television food person who demonstrated how to steam a fish 'the way the Chinese do.' He said to place all of the ingredients of what normally would be a marinade into the bottom of a wok, heated to boiling, then place a fish on a rack over the boiling marinade. Really?

* From a food critic who wrote of her Chinese meal saying that one dish was covered with a 'malty black bean sauce,' that another was beef 'plated with colorful Asian vegetables;' also, that 'despite being fried the duck had a light taste' and, that a breaded pork dish was 'without a whit of the flaming taste of lemongrass.' Mixed cultural signals, I think.

* From a magazine food writer who, after a visit to that public relations exercise in Singapore known as the Imperial Herbal Restaurant, wrote that its food 'combined haute cuisine techniques and delicate, subtle flavors with traditional Chinese herbal cooking.' Huh?

* From a newspaper writer who described as 'dim sum' as a dish of soft shell crabs cooked in a black bean and coriander sauce. Huh? again.

* From television food people who seem to have difficulty with the word Sichuan. It usually comes out as 'Sesh-Wan' or 'Shush-Wen' as it did in a program about 'white Taro cake' which in reality is a cake of turnips. Listen also to what happened with Shao-Hsing wine which on television becomes 'Shee-Shing' or 'Show Shin' or simply 'Chinese cooking wine.' Seems they rarely make such gaffes over locales or words related to the news.

And so on. As I noted earlier, all of these, all of which are incorrect, now reside somewhere in newspaper morgues and libraries, in computer resource banks, in television storage facilities waiting to be found and used as research. How sad!

Let us hope that those that are interested, or who regard it as an obligation to tell the reading and watching world what Chinese food is, will discard all of the above and study and consult with those who know what Chinese food is, really is.  Until then, Good Eating, Friends...

Easy Barbeque Steak

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean, boneless beef steak

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions

1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons soy jam (thick soy)

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Braise the steaks on a hot grill until done to your taste.

2. Make a sauce blending the scallions, garlic, soy sauce, soy jam, mustard, and sesame oil.

3. When the steak is done to your taste, smother it with the sauce mixture.

4.  Serve over rice with your choice of vegetable side.

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Beef Recipes

Colin's Beef Stroganoff

*Two hours before service, pat dry then cut a tender piece of raw beef into small cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion salt..

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs tender beef
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• 1/4 lb butter
• salt
• 2 spoons flour
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1.5 pounds of hamburger meat

Take 1 pound of raw egg noodles, toss in boiling water, bring back to a boil, and strain. While egg noodles are cooking, saute chopped onions and sliced mushrooms in butter until onions become transparent and mushrooms just soften up. Use a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan, then toss in marinated beef. After the meat is browned evenly, toss in cooked egg noodles and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons very fresh sour cream before serving. (For an extra kick, 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard can be added, as it gives a new dimension to the flavor.)



Cheesey Beef Alfredo Casserole

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• parmesan cheese
• cheddar cheese
• 1 box of  Ditalini (or any other small pasta)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brown the hamburger meat while starting a pot of water to boil. After the meat was seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper, and well browned, drain. The pasta was then cooked to "al-dente" then drained.

Take 2 tablespoons of butter, melt over medium heat, poured the cream in, let it cook to just below boiling, then mix in 1 cup of parmesan cheese. When the parmesan cheese had just started to melt, combine the meat and noodles, season it lightly with salt and pepper, and stirred in half of the grated cheddar cheese. Put it into a 9" round stoneware dish and topped it with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven and serve.

 

Steak Diane by Colin

Ingredients

• 
  
  4 x small sirloin steaks, approx 7 ounces each
  
• 3 shallots, peeled
  
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  

                   (if crimini unavailable use button mushrooms instead)

• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 -2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup brandy or cognac

                   (I used Hennessey, as it was all I had available, with great results)

• 
  
  1 cup heavy cream
  
• Small handful of flat-leaf parsley
  

Using a rolling pin, roll out the steaks to flatten and cut off any excess fat. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet pan large enough to accommodate the 4 steaks in one layer. Quickly sauté the steaks for up to a minute on each side then remove from the pan and set aside to rest.

To make the sauce for the steaks, heat some olive oil in a separate pan. Slice the shallots and add to the pan, allow to soften briefly before slicing and adding the mushrooms with a tablespoon of butter. Crush in the garlic using a garlic press.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, then the mustard and heat through for a minute. Turn up the heat and tilt the pan away from you. Pour the brandy into the far end and allow it to ignite - be careful that the flame that flares up doesn't singe your eyebrows! Once the alcohol has burnt off, swirl the juices around the pan. Add the cream and allow the sauce to thicken before turning down the heat.

Introduce the steaks back into the pan and cook a little further depending on how well done you would like them. Chop the parsley and add half to the pan.

 

Chino's Picadillo

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 7 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (Cholula is my favorite)
• 6 cups canned stewed tomatoes, half-drained

Directions

In a large stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion and green pepper until onions are transparent. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and set aside. In the same pot, heat the remaining oil and brown the ground beef.

In a separate saucepan, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaves and hot sauce. Let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Place the seasoning mixture and the onion mixture into the pot with the ground beef. Add the half drained tomatoes and cook for 1 hour over medium heat; stirring occasionally.

Ground Beef with Beijing Sauce Over Noodles

If you don’t have bean sauce, it is acceptable to substitute hoisin sauce or oyster sauce and omit the sugar. To save time, boil your noodles according to package instructions while you’re cooking. I’ve added dried peppers, but of course you can leave them out if you’d like. If you enjoy spice, try the “hot bean sauce” instead of the regular bean sauce, add more dried chilies and leave the seeds in or use chopped fresh chilies instead. Serve over your grain of choice.

serves 4

• 1/4 cup stock (chicken/beef/veg)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground bean sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon cooking wine
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced onions
• 4 dried chili peppers, cut in half, seeds shaken out/discarded
• 1 pound lean ground beef or chicken
• 1/2 cup frozen vegetables (I used carrots and peas), no need to defrost
• 1/2 cup chopped baby corn (1/2 can)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch slurry
• cooked rice or noodles

 Mix the sauce ingredients together, set aside. In a wok or large over high heat, add the cooking oil. When the oil is just getting hot, add the garlic, onions and the chili peppers, fry until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and stir fry for 1 minute until browned.

Add the frozen vegetables and baby corn and stir well. Pour in the sauce and turn the heat to medium. Bring sauce to a boil.

Add in the corntarch and stir for about 10 more seconds, until sauce has thickened and vegetables have achieved a shiny glaze. Taste and adjust for seasoning – you may add a little more soy sauce if needed. Serve over noodles or rice.

Pan Seared Steak Rolls

•  8 ounces flank steak (4 inch x 6 inch piece) or 8 thin sliced sirloin

 Marinade

• 
  
  1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  
• freshly ground pepper
  

 Sauce

• 
  
  1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  
• ¼ cup canned chicken broth
  

Filling

• 
  
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  
• 1 carrot, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
  
• ½ red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
  
• 2 ribs celery, sliced thin on diagonal
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  
• 12 green onions, cut into 3 inches long
  
• 4 ounces enoki mushrooms
  
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  
• 2 teaspoons butter
  
• ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
  

Freeze steak for 30 minutes until partially frozen. Slice steak against the grain, on the diagonal, into 8 equally thin pieces. Use a meat mallet to pound each piece of meat to 1/8 inch thick. If using thin sliced sirloin, skip this step.

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and add meat slices. Let stand 15 minutes to 2 hours.

In a separate bowl, combine sauce ingredients.

To prepare filling, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. When hot, add vegetable oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add garlic and ginger and fry for 20 seconds. Add carrot, bell pepper, celery and stir fry for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and stir. Transfer to bowl and let cool.

To make the beef rolls, lay beef slices out with short side facing you. Equally divide chives, enoki mushrooms and vegetable mixture among the pieces of meat. Roll the beef up, over the filling and secure with toothpick.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and butter, swirling to coat bottom. When hot, add beef rolls, seam side down, not touching and pan fry for 1 minute, turn roll. Add sauce to the pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat until beef is just cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Remove toothpick, sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Yields 4 servings

Colin's Hunan Spicy Orange Beef

Made with dried orange peel, this spicy and flavorful dish originates from the Hunan region. Best Practice: deep-fry the beef twice if desired to make it extra crispy.

Serves 3 - 4.

 Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound flank steak

 Marinade:

• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 egg white
  
• 1 ounce cornstarch slurry
  

Sauce:

• 
  
  2 tablespoons water or low sodium chicken broth
  
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  
• 3 teaspoons Tomato Paste
  

                       (Ketchup will suffice if you don't have any tomato paste lying around the house)

• Sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
• 1 fresh orange, including the peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Veggies

• 
  
  2 slices ginger
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 green onions
  
• 2 medium celery ribs
  
• Oil for deep-frying and stir-frying
  
• 6 dried red chili peppers
  

Preparation:

Cut the flank steak across the grain into thin strips. Add the salt, egg white and cornstarch. Marinate the beef in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Complete the next three steps while the beef is marinating.

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl combine the water or chicken broth, dark soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, ketchup, sesame oil and white pepper. Squeeze the juice from the orange and add to the sauce, along with the sugar. Set aside.

Remove all white rind from the orange peel. Cut the peel into thin strips. Peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Wash the green onions and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. String the celery and cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal.

Heat the wok over high heat. Add oil for deep-frying and heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oil is ready, add the beef. Deep-fry on both sides until it changes color and is nearly cooked. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Add the celery and submerge briefly in the hot oil (the celery should not be in the hot oil for more than a few seconds). Remove and drain on paper towels.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok. Add the dried chili peppers and the orange peel. Stir-fry briefly until the chilies darken, then add the minced ginger and garlic. Stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Stir in the green onion.

Push the vegetables up to the side of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle. Add the beef back into the pan. Heat through and serve hot.

Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients

• 
  
  3 pounds ground beef
  
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
  
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle tomato-based chili sauce
  
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon prepared
  
• yellow mustard (optional)
  

 Directions

Crumble the ground beef into a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until evenly browned. Drain off grease. Add the onion and celery, and cook until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. 

Reduce heat to medium and pour in the chili sauce. Stir in the vinegar and sugar. Add mustard if using. Simmer until the mixture is your desired thickness. Serve on buns.

Colin's Stew-Stuffed Potatoes

 Ingredients

• 8 cups low-sodium beef stock
• 3 large russet potatoes
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Water, as needed
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onions
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the beef stock in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, leaving 4 cups.

Put the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until just tender, about 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and using a spoon, remove the potato flesh and set aside, leaving 1/2-inch thick rim around the edges. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the baking sheet and put potato shells on it, cut side down; bake until the cut side is golden brown and skin is crispy, about 20 minutes.

Pat the meat pieces dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the beef on all sides to a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate and carefully add a tablespoon of water to the hot pot, scraping up the brown bits from bottom of the pan. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and saute the onions and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onions begin to caramelize, adding water, as needed, to deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the onions are a deep golden brown, add the reduced beef stock and the beef and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the meat is tender, skimming fat off the top, if necessary, about 35 to 40 minutes

Pass the reserved potato flesh through a ricer or mash with a masher until smooth, adding hot water to loosen them. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, butter, sour cream, then season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix well.

Ladle the stew into the crisp potato bowls, top with a spoon of mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Colin's Easy Barbeque Steak

Ingredients:

• 
  
  2 pounds lean, boneless beef steak
  
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
  
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 2 teaspoons soy jam (thick soy)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  
  

Preparation:

1. Braise the steaks on a hot grill until done to your taste.

2. Make a sauce blending the scallions, garlic, soy sauce, soy jam, mustard, and sesame oil.

3. When the steak is done to your taste, smother it with the sauce mixture.

4. Serve over rice with your choice of vegetable side.

Colin's Tomato Beef

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1/2 pound flank steak
  
• 4 Tablespoons oil
  
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
  
• 1 Tablespoon chopped scallions
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• salt to taste
  
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
  

Marinating sauce:

• 
  
  1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry
  
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  

Preparation:

1. Cut beef into thin slices, and mix with the marinating sauce, and allow to stand for at least fifteen minutes.

2. Heat two Tablespoon oil until very hot and saute scallions until they are light brown. Add the tomatoes and while stirring, add the salt and sugar. Cook about two minutes until the tomatoes are barely limp. Remove and set aside.

3. Rinse and dry the wok or pan and heat the rest of the oil. Saute the garlic half a minute then fry the beef until no longer red. Return the tomato mixture to the pan, mix well, and cook one minute longer then remove to a serving platter. Serve with steamed rice.