Chili Figgyness

I had a few figs to use, so I grabbed the cast iron skillet, some chili powder that was a gift from Santa Fe, and some creativity to come up with one of my favorite new concoctions.

Take a handful of sliced beef and toss it in the skillet, along with about 1/3 tsp. of some sweet/hot chili powder (I think a good hot paprika would work). Sauté the beef over medium-low heat until just about done, then add 4 or 5 figs (cut them in half lengthwise, brush some olive oil on the flesh, and put them in the pan cut-side down). Cook the figs until they just start to get juicy and brown, then flip. Sprinkle in some salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Allow to cook for another minute, then carefully remove and plate the figs. Stir the beef to coat with any of the remaining fig juice or flesh, and then scatter over the figs.

Salty, sweet, and hot!

Happiness Is...

So, I finally tried the Sichuan Pepper Pickles that we picked up in Flushing a few weeks ago. What took me so long?!?! I plopped a little over a tablespoon into my skillet and sautéed a few slices of beef in it (about a handful--enough for 1 person...I know...way to measure). When the beef was just about cooked, which didn't take very long, I added some two small cucumbers (cut into chunky strips) and stir fried everything together. I added a few leaves of Thai basil from my window garden just before serving.

Yummmmmm...

From what I can tell, it has hot chilis, ground sichuan peppercorns, some sort of sliced green beans, salted soy beans, peanuts, and a few other things. Amazing stuff--I didn't need to add anything else, and this was one heck of a happy-making meal.