Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Stir fry is a method of cooking I use a lot in the summer. It involves quickly cooking small pieces of food in a large pan over high heat while constantly and briskly stirring the food. This cooking technique is usually associated with Asian cooking and the wok, requires minimal fat, and results in food that is crisply tender. 

We can use the technique without necessarily adopting the flavors of the East, though I did use both soy sauce and toasted sesame oil in this recipe.

This recipe was born from ingredients I had on hand which needed to be used. I had a head of cabbage I purchased for another reason and whatever it was, it never happened. I had a package of ground sirloin I  bought on sale. I had  red bell peppers which were too cheap and beautiful for me to resist. And of  course it is Vidallia onion season.

This is the first time I have ever used ground beef in a stir fry. I followed my usual method of stir fry cooking if I am using meat, which is, cook the meat first, remove from pan and set aside. Drain any fat from the wok in preparation for cooking the vegetables. Cook the vegetables as desired, add the cooked meat back to the pan, stir together quickly and season to taste.

Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
(adapted from allrecipes.com)
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. peanut oil
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 jumbo Vidallia onion, sliced
4  (or more) cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 small head cabbage, sliced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the ground beef in wok, over medium high heat, stirring until completely browned, adding black pepper and salt.. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.  Drain fat from wok and wipe it clean. Add the peanut oil to the pan and heat over medium high heat. Stir in the sesame oil, then add in the onions, cooking and stirring constantly until they begin to brown.  Stir in the garlic and red bell pepppers, and stir for a minute longer, then add the sliced cabbage.  Stir everything well, then add the soy sauce.  Stir and cook until the vegetables are barely tender, then add back the cooked beef. Stir all together and season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.