Entrees

Blood Orange Beef Stir Fry

Fruit is one of my favorite snacks. There’s absolutely nothing better than picking up an apricot, peach or plum and taking a huge bite out of that soft sweet flesh. Unfortunately you can’t get fresh plums or peaches this time of year. If you want fruit, your options are somewhat limited to apples, pears and every kind of citrus there is.

Yes, I say limited, but actually when you think of all the choices of apples, pears, oranges, lemons and limes, I guess I should really say your options are limit-less. You can eat any one of these fruits by themselves or you can turn them into a delicious dessert or entree. And while I love peeling an orange and eating it section by section, I also enjoy juicing those fruits and turning them into a cocktail or sauce.

While you can find oranges year round at the farmer’s markets and grocery stores, the blood oranges are currently in season and will be for only be around for another couple months. And while divine on their own, they’re wonderful when juiced and added to meats and poultry. Since I was lucky enough to receive a bag of these awesome oranges from Melissa’s recently, I thought they’d be perfect as the base of this stir fry. I was right. They were awesome and I can’t wait to use them again.

Blood Orange Beef Stir Fry

adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • juice of 2 blood oranges
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 pound skirt steak
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped
  • 3 large carrots, chopped

Directions:

  1. Whisk together the zest, orange juice, corn starch, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Slice the beef into thin pieces and toss in the wok. Stir and flip until meat is just cooked through. Transfer meat to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add the rest of the oil to the wok along with the garlic and scallions. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and carrots and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return the beef to the wok and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the meat and toss to coat. Continue cooking for another minute or two then spoon over rice and serve.