Maybe I should order the lettuce wraps at a restaurant again...

I have vague memories of ordering lettuce wraps in restaurants, and getting spicy, gooey ground chicken and other stuff in Boston lettuce cups.  A few years ago I had a package of turkey to use up, and I decided to cook it, toss in some veggies, and serve it in lettuce leaves.  (Nick requested a side of steamed rice, thus blowing my attempt to make a low-carb dinner.)

It's a little different every time I make it, and I really can't remember if the similarity to other recipes ends with the poultry, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.   I didn't measure anything tonight, but here's a rough outline of what I made.

2-4 T stir-fry oil with ginger and garlic

~ 24 oz. 93% lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, quartered and sliced cross wise

4 shakes crushed red pepper flakes

2 large pinches Szechuan Peppercorns, crushed in a mortar

2 inches of garlic, grated on a garlic grater

6 cubes of Dorot ginger

1 small can slivered bamboo shoots

1 small can sliced water chestnuts

2 ~ 4 T soy sauce

water (to taste)

sweet mirin (to taste)

1 T corn starch

Dark Sesame oil (to taste)

Preheat a large non-stick wok over medium high.  Add 2 T of stir fry oil and the ground turkey.  Break the turkey up into pieces.  When the turkey is all opaque, there might be a lot of liquid in the pan.  Remove the liquid to a small, deep bowl and set aside to cool.    When the last of the water evaporates, add 1/2 ~ 1 T stir fry oil to the pan and toss the turkey with it.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until there are some nice golden brown patches on most of the turkey.  Remove the turkey to large plate.

Drain the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.  (Since I had the salad spinner out to dry the lettuce leaves, I gave them a spin.)

Add soy sauce and mirin to the reserved turkey dripping and add enough water to make about 3/4 c. of liquid total.    Drip a little on your finger and taste to decide if you want more salty soy sauce or sweet mirin.  Whisk in cornstarch with a fork or small whisk until you have a uniform slurry.  (Or put everything in a jar with a liquid tight lid and shake to combine.)

Add 1 T more stir fry oil to the wok, and when it shimmers add the red pepper flakes and crushed peppercorns.  Allow to sizzle for 1 minute before adding the onions.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown.  Add the ginger and garlic.  Stir frequently and cook until the garlic starts to brown.

Add the drained bamboo shoots, drained water chestnuts and browned turkey back to the pan, and stir well to combine.  Add your soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until it has thickened to coat everything in the pan.  Drizzle in some sesame oil, stir well and taste.

I think something fresh and green at the end would be an improvement, but I didn't have any....

Serve with steamed rice topped with nanami togarashi and a pile of leaf lettuce.

Cheeseburgers for breakfast

We were out late at a party last night and weren't particularly hungry when we got up.  I was drinking my second cup of tea and pondering what to make for breakfast.  I wanted was to go to a diner and get a cheeseburger and fries, while Nick could have a more traditional breakfast.  But our favorite breakfast spot doesn't make hamburgers on the weekend....and going out would require getting dressed.

I remembered that I had some cooked ground beef crumbles in the freezer.
And Tillamook sharp cheddar in the fridge.
And dehydrated hash browns in the pantry...mere inches away from cans of mild green chiles.

I love it when a meal comes together...

4.2 oz. package just-add-water hash browns

4 oz. can mild green chiles

Aleppo pepper, to taste

8-10 oz ground beef*

4 slices sharp cheddar

4 - 8 eggs

salt & pepper, to taste

oil or cooking spray

Combine the hash browns, canned chiles, and Aleppo pepper in a 3-4 cup container with a lid.  Stir to evenly distribute the chiles before adding boiling water.  Stir, cover and let sit 10 minutes.  It's better to have to add more water because the potatoes are still a little crunchy and have to add more water.  (Wet potatoes won't brown...)  The hash browns I buy are already pretty salty, so I don't add any salt...

Preheat a sandwich press to medium high, and oil it or spray with cooking spray.  Spread out the hash browns on the hot surface and spray the top with cooking spray (or drizzle it with oil) before closing the press.

Add your ground beef to a skillet over medium heat.  Break it up and continue cooking until it's  nicely browned.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes and beef are browned, transfer the beef to a bowl or plate, and wipe out out the frying pan.  Oil the pan, and add your eggs.  (I usually add a little hot water and cover the pan to steam-cook the tops.)

Open the press and separate your hash brown patty into 4 servings.  

Sprinkle the ground beef evenly over the hash browns and top with sliced cheese.  Leave it on the griddle until the cheese softens and melts.

Plate the hash and top with fried eggs.

Since this made a lot of hash, and there are only two of us, I packed half of it into freezer containers, and then topped each serving with one raw egg.  I pierced the yolks in a couple places with a toothpick before freezing.  Even if the hash browns aren't crisp and the egg yolk cooks hard, it should make a pretty tasty lunch.

*I buy large packages of ground beef, cook it up in crumbles, cool it, and freeze 8 -12 oz. bags.  The cooked brown beef will thaw and brown faster than a frozen package of raw ground beef for quick week night cooking.