Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

This blog has been a rather dormant place lately. Between the holidays and other recent craziness, I have not been doing much cooking.  With a new week starting, I am resolving to get back to cooking and hopefully, sharing what we've been eating.  May I also take this opportunity to wish you a belated New Year!

Tonight it was Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein.  I have to admit that Chinese food is not my favorite of the Asian cuisines.  That said, two of my favorite Chinese dishes would have to be Beef with Broccoli and Lo Mein.  I was pretty intrigued when looking for a use for some flank steak (a surprisingly delicious, relatively economical cut), I came across a Cooking Light recipe that combined the two into a super-power entree.  It did not disappoint and there were no leftovers.

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein
serves about 4
4 cups hot cooked linguini (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut or other neutral vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut across the grain into about 2" long, thin strips
salt and pepper
1/4 cup beef or chicken broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic

1.  Combine pasta and sesame oil, tossing well to coat; set aside.
2. Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce and chile garlic paste together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add ginger and garlic, sauté about 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add broccoli and onion, sauté 2 minutes.  Pour beef broth over broccoli mixture, turn heat to high and allow to cook until the broth is almost evaporated and broccoli is crisp-tender.
Remove from pan and set aside.  Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat until shimmering.  Generously pepper steak slices and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Cook steak in a single layer about 3-5 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.  Return broccoli mixture to pan and top with cooked pasta.  Pour sauce mixture over top of pasta and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Recipe adapted from The Best of Cooking Light