The steak is destined for Cantonese Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef and Potatoes, a recipe that’s packed with little chemistry lessons. In addition to baking soda, it also calls for a healthy splash of vinegar in the potato-cooking water, which lowers the pH and helps the spuds keep their shape during stir-frying (you can read the nerdy details on how this works here). It also incorporates a cornstarch coating—one of our favorite tricks for getting a fried-like texture without any deep frying.
But the flank steak’s journey does not end there, as there is still another pound of it sitting in the freezer. As part of my goal to get serious about actually meal planning—instead of vibing my way through the week—I’ve been buying a lot of one protein, then picking a few recipes to make with it. A bit of an obvious strategy, and one I definitely did not invent, but excessively effective.
To keep the shopping list short, I’ll pick two or three recipes for each type of protein—one can the include spices and seasonings not already in my pantry (so that I may expand my palate), with the requirement that the other(s) can be made with stuff I already have. I had to buy the Shaoxing wine for the stir-fry, so I chose the tapas-inspired Bocadillos with Steak, Mushrooms and Shallots as my second flank steak recipe; I already had the oil and seasonings (and parsley and lemons) required.
So that’s two suppers this week, sorted. (If you recall my email from a couple of weeks ago, you know breakfasts and lunches are taken care of with freezer burritos—aka a sheet pan of scrambled eggs and Butter Chicken mixed with rice, each rolled into tortillas and frozen.)
Our butter chicken is made with boneless, skinless thighs, which I buy in 8-pound packs in Costco. The recipe uses up 2 1/2 pounds of thighs, so I have a little over 5 pounds left to play around with. Yakisoba and Shawarma are on the menu, as I have nearly everything I need to make both, save for ramen noodles, yogurt (which I’m out of anyway) and a few vegetables. (The yakisoba, in particular, is very pantry-friendly.)
All of that, assuming there are some leftovers, should be enough to get us through the week, supper-wise. Consider my meals planned.
“Milk Street Bakes” is also factoring into my weekly eating prep in a fun way. I’ll flip through the recipes, looking for one that can (once again) be made with stuff I already have. Right now I have many overripe bananas. After a week of being away, traveling for a BBQ conference (and then getting stuck in Mississippi due to weather), I returned to find many brown fruits, which is great, because I like eating our Brown Butter-Cardamom Banana Bread more than I like eating fruit.
I also came home to a sample of fancy lard for me to try, which means I pretty much have to make a batch of Piadina, a 30-minute flatbread that gets its supple texture from a combination of lard and yogurt. They make a great vehicle for any and all leftovers.
Want to hear more from Claire? Sign up for her weekly newsletter here.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
And if you’re looking for more Milk Street, check out our livestream cooking classes with our favorite chefs, home cooks and friends for global recipes, cooking methods and more.
