Quick and Easy: Orange beef

Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal

Although flank steaks seem to have shrunk over the years, the one-pound version that many supermarkets sell feeds the modern family well, often with leftovers.

This cut remains among the harried cook's favorite. It's lean and, broiled or grilled, takes only a few minutes to cook.

Slicing flank steaks into thin strips makes more work at the front end, but they require almost no time to cook. Seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, red pepper and orange zest, the meat takes on a Chinese flavor.

Cutting across the long fibers of tough beef helps tenderize it.

• 1 pound flank, sirloin or rib-eye steak
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (colored part of rind), plus a little juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 pound sugar snap peas or snow peas

Freezing the steak for up to an hour makes it easier to slice. Slice thinly across the grain. Combine beef with orange zest, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper.

Heat a heavy skillet or wok over high heat for a minute. Add vegetable oil and heat another minute. Add garlic and when it turns light brown, add the beef. Stir the beef two minutes. Add peas and stir two minutes more, or until the beef has lost its red color.

Squeeze half an orange over it and stir. Serve over rice. Serves 4 to 6.