Auspicious Beef

Now that Mrs. Fabulous is expecting a baby fabulous, all she wants to eat is red meat and ice cream . . . it's awesome.

We tried this recipe and it was a real winner of a beef dinner.

2 pounds top blade steak sliced thin (we couldn't find blade steak and used flank steak instead)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar
2 tablespoons mirin, sherry or white wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 scalions sliced thin

Make sauce while beef browns

1. Brown Meat: Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the steak on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer steak into a clean bowl. Repeat with remaining steak, then transfer to bowl.

2. Assemble and Simmer Sauce: While steak cooks, whisk soy sauce, sugar, mirin, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes together. Add sauce to skillet, return to medium-high heat, and simmer, scraping up any brown bits, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

3. Simmer Meat with Sauce: Add steak and any accumulated juices to skillet and continue to simmer until steak is heated through and sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Transper to platter and sprinkle with scallions, serve over rice with toasted sesame seeds on top.