Something Quick Easy and Inexpensive for Dinner.

Gammon steak with minted potatoes and Broccoli in black bean sauce.

I cooked this for dinner last night and I truly sat down to eat within 20 minutes. This meal can be cooked just using you electric wok, microwave and small grill oven.

What you need, I bought every thing I needed from our local “Fresh and Easy”. www.freshandeasy.com

Except the black bean sauce, rice wine vinegar and corn starch. I already had them in the cupboard.

What you’ll need;

Gammon (ham) steak. Fresh and Easy sell one large one for less than $4 and it’s big enough for 2.

Small honey gold potatoes, as many as needed, remember yellow potatoes have more goodness than the white potato. Fresh and Easy sell a very handy bag.

Fresh mint if you have it, I picked mine from the garden. If not dry will do.

The broccoli stalks, I don’t throw them away. I freeze them to make broccoli soup later. I do the same with asparagus stalks.

Broccoli, as much as you like to eat, I used about 3 cups of florets

A handful or two of cherry or small tomatoes, optional adds colour.

Sesame seeds optional, they add a nice nutty taste.

½ cup of water.

1 teaspoon of Rice wine vinegar.

1 teaspoon cornstarch or corn flour

2 teaspoons of Black bean garlic sauce. You can be a bit heavy with the teaspoon. Nothing wrong with a bit more.

2 teaspoons of canola or Olive oil

1 clove of minced garlic, more if the Vampires are about.

Turn on your grill/broiler to get it up to full heat. I warm my plates on top of the oven. Not directly on the oven but on an old grill tray. The may break directly on the oven top; you can cover the plates with kitchen foil to keep in the heat. Handy for keeping stuff warm

The potatoes:

I use my microwave to cook the potatoes. Wash the potatoes and put into a big enough microwave safe bowl, partially cover with water, add salt if needed. Add the stalks of fresh mint. Cover the bowl with an old plate and cook on high for 6 minutes. Time may vary with different microwaves.

When they’re done leave in the boiled water to keep warm.

Meanwhile:

How to cook the Broccoli;

1. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry frying pan (or your wok before the main event) over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

2. Mix half water, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add black bean sauce and stir until smooth.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and the vinegar, black sauce mix, stir to coat.

Or use your electric wok.

4. Add the remaining half of the water; cover and steam just until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes.

You can add your small tomatoes now or put them on the grill with the gammon.

5. Push broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce mixture in the center. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli to coat. Be careful not to let the sauce cook away.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

While the broccoli is cooking put the gammon steak under the grill.

The gammon steak I use is pre-cooked, it could be eaten cold, so it only needs heating through. Grill one side for a few minutes then turn over to heat the over side.

An easy tasty classy meal.

I had a glass or two of a cold crisp Pino Grigio to accompany the dinner. I drank a glass while cooking.