Mapo Tofu and Beef and Broccoli

Last year we decided to try and perfect a recipe each so that we'd have an easy go to dinner when we needed one. We decided on Mapo Tofu and Beef and Broccoli. We each researched some recipes and drew from our experience eating the dishes. We made it every few weeks for a couple months in order to try out new ideas and get it pretty set in our memories. The two recipes are a nice compliment to each other, and they take about the same amount of time to make, so with each of us making one it works out well. It's a bit hard to take pictures while its all happening so fast, but I think there's enough to get the idea.

Note: All our measurements are very loose, but I tried to guesstimate to give a starting point. If you don't have some of the stuff, thats okay, feel free to add, subtract, replace etc.

MaPo Topu
1 lb container Tofu
2-3 tbsp black bean in garlic sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sambal oelek (spicy)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp corn starch
optional 1/4 lb ground pork

Beef and Broccoli
1/2 lb flank steak cut thinly
2 bunches of fresh broccoli
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp black bean in garlic sauce
2 tbsp sambal oelek (spicy)
2-3 tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Mapo Tofu: 
Drain and cube the tofu. Add the corn starch to the chicken broth in a small bowl. For the chicken broth I just use the powder and mix it with water in the ratio the package says. Mix it up well and set aside. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients to the tofu and stir together (see photo above). If you using the ground pork - I only do if we happen to have some - cook in pan until its done and then pour the soy sauce on it. Then add the tofu to the pan (with the pork if using) cook until it warms all the way through 3-5 minutes probably. Then add the broth and cornstarch mixture. Boil until the sauce gets nice and thick.

Beef and Broccoli:
Cut the beef thinly. It's easier to do if it is a tiny bit frozen. Sometimes when we get a big piece from the store, we'll pre-slice it and freeze it in the right portions, which makes it easier later. Add all of the sauce mixture to the beef and let it sit for a minute while you deal with the broccoli. Cut up the broccoli - we like to have more broccoli than beef. Cut it into bit size pieces and then cook it for a few minutes in a non stick pan with some water to steam it a bit. We usually do this for about 5 minutes so that there's still some crunch in the broccoli. I don't have a picture of this part. Remove the broccoli and set aside for a minute.  Next cook the beef in the same pan you cooked the broccoli in. (see photo above) 

Once the beef is cooked through, add the broccoli back in and stir it around for a minute or so to soak up the extra sauce. 

We tend to make jasmine rice with it, and by starting it at the beginning, it usually works out that everything is done about the same time. It makes a very tasty and rounded dinner, that only takes about 20 minutes, which is great for work nights. Let us know if you give it a try, we'd love to hear what you do differently and what you think of it! 

Jerome's Famous Fabulous Fajitas

So recently, our favourite easy weeknight dinner - Tasty Tacos has been given a run for their money with Jerome's perfecting of Fabulous Fajitas! He sort of made something up one night instead of tacos, and now it's a toss up which one to make. They are also nice and quick, and easy to make even after a long day of work. They are very forgiving, so we improvise a bit each time, but I'll try and cover most of the options we have tried.


I'm usually in charge of the veggies. I cut up green peppers and onions into long slices and then sprinkle them with a random mixture of cayenne, chili powder - ancho, pasilla or regular, cumin, and whatever other spice grabs my attention in the drawer! You could also just use a fajita mix, or my Mum's not so secret anymore - taco seasoning.

While I'm doing that, Jerome makes a marinade/sauce for the chicken or beef which we have cut into bite size pieces. He usually puts a spoon of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the juice and sometimes zest from a lime, cumin, sometimes a dash of bbq sauce, salt, and a variety of spices like cumin, chili powder - ancho, pasilla or regular, and likely random others sometimes. So you coat the meat in the sauce and you're good to go! 

Heat up a large skillet, throw in the meat and cook the meat until it's done. Both chicken and beef work equally well with this recipe.  As you have noticed we like things spicy, if you want a less spicy version you can use milder chili powders, or paprika to get the flavour without the bite. Or just omit a hot sauce or two!

Conveniently, we have 2 cast iron skillets, there are 2 parts to the dish, and there are two of us, so we split it up and it's done in a jiffy! With cheese grating, tortilla heating, occasional avocado scooping etc, being done while everything is cooking. We've got it pretty streamlined now. 

They are super easy and tasty, so I'd highly recommend giving them a try! I might just have to go home and make some, because I'm starving now after talking about them and looking at all these pictures! 

Meat Box 1a: New York Steak

The first thing we cooked from our Meat Box were the two aged new york steaks. They were each about 1/3 of a pound, grass fed, free range etc. They were very evenly sized and had a bit of marbling in them. 

We brought them to room temperature, patted them dry and seasoned them with salt and pepper. 

To go with it, we cut some tomatoes into thick slices and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Ground some salt and pepper on the top and broiled them. 

We flipped them once the top started cooking, and sprinkled some parmesan cheese over the top and put back until they started to brown on that side. 

Jerome was in charge of cooking the steaks while I worried about the sides. Because they were pretty thin steaks we had to cook it at pretty high heat to get a nice sear on the sides without overcooking the middle. A bit of a challenge, but Jerome did a great job. He got a nice colour on both sides and then added a tiny bit of butter to the pan to finish them off while keeping them medium rare. 

We also made some mashed potatoes to round everything out. It was all pretty tasty! We wanted to keep it very simple this time to be able to taste the meat itself. Next time we may try a saucier approach!

St. Patty's Day Guiness Cheddar Pie

I think I made this recipe two or three years ago randomly, and liked it. So last year for St. Patrick's day I dug out the recipe and fully intended to make it, and then at 6 pm when Jerome said he was on his way home, I read the actual directions which involve several 1 hour simmering steps, and put it off until the weekend, and then used the beef for something else, and then we drank all the Guinness I had bought for the occasion. And so it was forgotten. 

This year, I was more prepared and actually remembered ahead of time, so planned to have it on the weekend afterwards. I even made sure I hid two of the bottles of Guinness, to ensure we'd have enough to make it. I'm drinking the last of the 6 pack as I write this which is why I remembered I should write about it. That and it was darn tasty. 

The recipe is a Jamie Oliver one and can be found online here. Aside from the stewing and simmering for several hours it's super easy: 

 Once you get everything chopped, you just let it cook, 

Stir a few times if you think of it.

Roll out some puff pastry into a casserole dish,

then pour in the steaming stew.

(I failed to take a picture of the extra sharp cheddar that gets sprinkled on in between these two pictures)

Cover it with the rest of the pastry and cook some more

And you end up with this!! 

My puff pastry shrank a bit and looked funny, (or perhaps it was "Rustic" like Jamie said it should be)

but mixed with the cheesy, stout-y, beefy goodness, it was divine! 

Try it sometime!