I had my first Pepper Steak at my sister's house in Louisiana. It was a love at first bite. Somehow, it's her specialty dish that I feel like nobody does it better than her. She makes it from scratch and no "cheat sheet" being followed, meaning she has the recipe in her mind and most of the time "eye-balling" the ingredients without exact measurements and still comes out perfect every time! I thought that takes some talents which she's literally being blessed with. I have to confess, I'm in the very opposite side. I, for the most part follow recipes to the T. Although I have been cooking (being a housewife) for almost a decade now, yet I still find myself doubting my cooking skills at times, unfortunately. Thank goodness I love and enjoy being in the kitchen, creating new things for my family otherwise, I could have given up cooking long time ago and settle for microwavable foods. When you know you're feeding your family something fresh, healthy and wholesome all your effort pays off with a sense of joy and accomplishment. The other day, I had cravings for this dish and thought I'd give it a try with my own version.
1 pound flank steak (cut in thin strips)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey (I usually start with 1 tablespoon and add a little bit more later on until desired sweetness is reached)
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and bell pepper until tender crisp, stirring frequently, halfway through add garlic (to avoid burning). Set aside.
On the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook steak until brown. Set aside.
On the same skillet, add soy sauce, red wine vinegar and honey and let it boil for 2 minutes. Add cooked veggies and beef and mix altogether until heated through. This is the time you can adjust the sweetness (add more honey), or add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over steamed rice!
Yield: 3-4 servings
