Beef & Leek Green Stir Fry

Most recipes for leeks tell you to discard the beautiful greens on top, but, inspired by one of my favorite dishes (the 24th Street Grand Sichuan International's Double Sautéed Pork), I decided they shouldn't go to waste. Leek greens have a wonderfully strong, grassy, and slightly oniony flavor that, as Grand Sichuan has shown, stands up to a spicy stir fry.

I had tons of greens in the crisper after making a few batches of melty leeks. I used the greens from about 5 leeks (I wanted it to be vegetable-heavy, but I'm sure you could use less and even throw in some other veggies), and went to town with the jars of various Chinatown treasures hanging out in my fridge: Sichuan Pepper Pickle, Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce, and--feeling too lazy to deal with Sichuan peppercorns--Sichuan peppercorn-infused oil (it's probably flavored with antifreeze, but whatever).



Beef & Leek Green Stir Fry

2 tbsp. Sichuan Pepper Pickle
1/2 lb. sliced beef
greens from 3 to 5 leeks, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn oil (or 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns, toasted)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Vietnamese chili garlic sauce

In a large frying pan or wok, sauté the beef in the Sichuan Pepper Pickle (if you don't have SPP, just sauté in a small amount of vegetable oil, or another spice/curry of your choice). Add the leek greens, Sichuan pepper oil (or peppercorns), soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce, toss, and cover. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until greens are a deep, bright green. Test to make sure greens are crunchy, yet not too chewy, and for flavor (adjust seasoning if necessary). Serve, if you like, with rice or toss with your favorite noodles.