Ginger Beef

Serves 4 to 8

INGREDIENTS

1⁄3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger

2 cups finely chopped scallions 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Dash of salt

4 pounds sirloin steak

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar and olive oil. Set it aside. (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together.)

Then make the steaks: Generously salt the steaks on both sides. Place a cast-iron or nonstick pan on very high heat and add the oil (only use half if you are making the steaks in two batches to keep from crowding the pan). Let the oil get hot. Cook each steak for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip each steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly: It will cook better this way rather than flipping it only once — I promise. Remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and cut the steaks lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips. Add the sauce on top and serve. HOW TO BRING IT!

This dish is great hot or cold. If you are serving it cold, you can keep both the sauce and the cooked meat in the fridge for a day before serving (the sauce can keep for 3 days). If you are going to refrigerate the meat for later, don’t slice it after cooking: Wait until you are about to serve it so the moisture in the meat stays intact. If you want to serve the meat hot, undercook it a bit and then reheat it in an oven at 350 degrees. You can microwave the sauce to get it hot if you like.