sichuan broccoli and pork

Arrgggg! Every once in a while, I worry that the tomato sauce on pizza doesn't really count as a vegetable serving and that the Carrotsticks are going to get scurvy because I don't feed them enough fruits and veggies. When that happens, I make Sichuan Broccoli and Pork for dinner every night for a week, to counteract all the bad eating from the previous weeks. Luckily, the kids all like this and eat it with gusto.

Sichuan Broccoli and Pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking sherry
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 head broccoli, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 pound ground pork
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper flakes, mustard, and 2 tablespoons water until sugar dissolves; set aside.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet with tight-fitting lid, heat oil over high heat until just smoking. Add broccoli stems in even layer and cook, without stirring, until browned on bottoms, about 2 minutes. Add florets to skillet and toss to combine; cook, without stirring, until bottoms of florets brown, about 2 minutes longer.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons water and cover skillet; cook until broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until water has evaporated, and florets are tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer broccoli to large plate.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet. Cook, breaking pork into small pieces, until no pink remains. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir sauce to recombine and return sauce and broccoli to pan. Cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in sesame oil. I usually adjust flavor at end by adding more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar.

Serve immediately, great with brown rice.

Ok, that's just me pretending to be healthy. You can use white rice or no rice. But brown is good, and good for you.

So, try this recipe! You'll like it and stave off scurvy at the same time.

Arrggg!