Beef and scallion rolls

Dinner tonight courtesty of Martha Stewart, circa 2003.  I've made a few changes to her original recipe from "Everyday Food" including the garlic.  Because everything tastes better with garlic!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil 

1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into thin strips 

1 medium carrot- cut into thin strips

2 TBS minced garlic

1/2 pound center-cut beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into 4 slices (or pre-sliced top round- buying it pre-sliced will save you all kinds of time and trouble!)

Coarse salt and ground pepper 

4 scallions, trimmed, sliced very thinly lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch pieces 

2 tablespoons rice vinegar 

2 teaspoons sugar 

3 tablespoons soy sauce

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the garlic 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.  Add bell pepper & carrot, and cook, shaking skillet often, until pepper blisters, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; wipe skillet clean.  (Martha is on crack.  Leave your skillet alone.  The bits of garlic that are left will season the steak.)

If you didn't buy your beef pre-sliced... good luck.  Slice it as thin as possible and then pound it with a mallet between two sheets of saran wrap.  If you bought it pre-sliced, just open the package and you're ready for the next step.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Divide bell pepper, carrots and scallions among slices. Roll tightly into bundles; secure each with a toothpick.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil (if you didn't wipe your skillet clean you don't need to add any extra oil here) in same skillet over high heat. Sear rolls until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean. 

Add 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is reduced and syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Drizzle rolls with sauce.

VERDICT

These are delicious!!!  They're also not too hard to make but they look really fancy.  I also didn't have any fresh scallions so I used the diced ones I had in the freezer from summer.  They worked just fine. 

NUTRITION

Per roll:  

Calories: 130

Carbs: 8g

Protein: 16g

Fat: 5g

Iron: 3g

Sugar: 6g