Still in a mostly unpleasant mood (see previous post), but I’ve been thinking for a while about posting the occasional recipe, and since Elio thinks that our latest creation (he contributed the idea of the balsamic vinegar) definitely is too yummy not to share, here it is. I don’t tend to measure too carefully when I cook, so take my estimates with a pinch of salt. Oh, and using half an habanero with the seeds in does give this dish a fair amount of bite, so if you’re not into that, you might want to use a milder chili.
400-500 g of beef (we tend to use the thinly sliced pieces)
lots of garlic (we use two of the kind that consists of a single, large bulb; I think it may be called chinese garlic in the US)
half an habanero or thereabouts (we keep the seeds in)
a medium to large leek
a medium to large onion
a few splashes of balsamic vinegar
a few spoonfulls of hot ajvar relish
1 dl of water
1-2 cubes of meat stock
1 dl of cream (not the full fat kind, we use one around 15% fat)
3 bell peppers
salt & pepper
Start by slicing the beef into thin strips. You can cut them down once lengthwise as well. Press or finely chop the garlic and finely chop the habanero. Chop the leek and the onion pretty finely too. Slice the bell peppers.
Next step is to heat up some oil in a large pan of some sort, and put in all the ingredients prepared so far except the paprika. Add salt (not too much) and pepper and stir-fry until the meat is done. Splash on the balsamic vinegar and let it fry a bit more. Then add water and the stock cubes and cook for a few minutes more. After that, add the ajvar relish and the cream.
Cook for a bit more, just to combine everything, and last add the bell pepper slices. You want it to get warm but not soft. And that’s pretty much it. Serves best with fresh pasta.