stir fried thai style beef

beef and marinade:
3/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground white pepper
1 t light brown sugar
1 T soy sauce (should be fish sauce but i hate fish sauce so there)
1 t rice wine
1 t white wine vinegar
1-2 lbs blade or flank steak

stir fry:
2 T soy sauce (again should be fish sauce)
1 T rice wine
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T light brown sugar
1 T chili-garlic paste
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 T vegetable oil
3 serrano or jalapeno chiles, halved, seeds and ribs removed, cut crosswise 1/8" thick
3 medium shallots, trimmed of ends, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and layers separated (green onions also work in a pinch)
1/2 fresh mint leaves, large leaves torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

combine marinade ingredients and then toss with beef to combine; marinate 15 minutes.

in a small bowl, combine soy, rice wine, vinegar, sugar, chili-garlic paste until sugar dissolves; set aside. in another small bowl, mix garlic with a little oil; set aside. heat 2 t oil in 12" non-stick skillet over high heat until smoking; add part of the beef to skillet in one even layer. cook, without stirring, until it begins to brown on the bottom, then stir and continue cooking to desired doneness. transfer beef to bowl; repeat with additional oil as needed and the beef in however many batches needed.

after transferring last batch of beef to bowl, reduce heat to medium; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. add chiles and shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. push chile-shallot mixture to sides of skillet; add garlic to cleared area and cook, mashing garlic with spoon, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. stir to combine garlic with chile-shallot mixture. add soy sauce mixture to skillet; increase heat to high and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 30 seconds. return beef and any accumlated juices to skillet, toss well to combine and coat with sauce, stir in half of mint and cilantro.

serve immediately, sprinkling individual servings with remainder of herbs, chopped green onions, peanuts, and/or lime wedges. excellent with jasmine rice and ginger roasted green beans.

salmon with mustard dill crust

2 8 oz salmon fillets, skin-on, about 1" thick
1 c panko
1 oz thick-cut potato chips, crushed into rough 1/8" pieces
1 green onion, white part only, minced
1 1/2 T chopped fresh dill
1/2 t olive oil

adjust one oven rack to 3-4" from heat source and second rack to upper middle position. toast panko in 300 degree oven on lower rack until light brown. combine with crushed chips, dill and green onion. set aside.

increase oven setting to broil. line baking sheet with foil and place salmon on foil. rub each fillet evenly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. broil salmon on upper rack until surface is spotty brown and outer 1/2" of thick end is opaque when gently flaked with paring knife, 7 to 9 minutes. remove fish from oven, spread each fillet evenly with mustard, and press bread crumb mixture onto fillets. return to lower rack and continue broiling until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute longer. use spatula to transfer salmon to serving plates, leaving skin behind on foil.

creamy peas with tarragon

2 T unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1 T minced fresh tarragon, or 1 t dried tarragon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c heavy cream
1 lb frozen peas
2 t sugar
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

melt butter in 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add shallot, tarragon, and garlic, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. stir in heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. add peas and sugar. cover and cook until peas are heated through, about 4 minutes. season with salt and pepper to taste.