Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

A Good Beginning

Often our dinner is decided by local sales.  Earlier this week, I found bell peppers for 50¢ each at a market that carries locally sourced produce.  So peppers it was.  Usually when we have peppers I stuff them with rice, tomatoes, and ground beef.  However, that is labor intensive and this time of year is crazy busy at school.  I had papers to grade and couldn’t do something requiring more than a few steps.  The slow cooker to the rescue.

I decided to make Pepper Steak.  I’ve made the fast cooking variety that requires a wok and only takes a few minutes to finish many times.  So I just tweaked that recipe a little.  A different cut of beef was required, but because I was using the slow cooker I could buy something less expensive.  Sounding better all the time.

Inexpensive and easy are often a consideration, but taste is what matters. The slow cooked pepper steak tastes similar to the speedier version of the dish.  The texture is different, but not unpleasing.  In fact, the leftovers tasted better than any pepper steak I’ve ever made.  I used three different colored peppers to make the finished dish more colorful. You can peel the tomatoes before adding them if you wish, but I wasn’t looking for more work. I served it over jasmine rice, but it would also taste good over ramen.  

Slow Cooker
Pepper Steak

Servings:  4-6

Time:   Prep: 10 minutes Slow Cook:  4-5 hours
Hardware: knives & cutting board, measuring cups & spoons, a 3-4 quart slow cooker, a skillet, a small bowl, a fork, and a whisk

Ingredients:

• 2 pound mock tender roast (sometimes called chuck filet or chuck tender)
• 1 pound plum tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• pinch pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (1½ teaspoons dried, ground ginger)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ cup teriyaki sauce (make your own)
• 3 large bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup cold water
• Salt & pepper

1. Whisk the ginger, brown sugar, pepper flakes, and teriyaki sauce into the slow cooker.
2. Slice the onion and garlic.  Remove the stem end of the tomatoes.  You don’t need to chop them as they will disintegrate when stewed. Place all three veggies into the slow cooker. 
3. Salt the roast and place it into the sauce.  You may need to cut the roast in half to make it fit.  Cook on low for 3 hours.
4. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the peppers. Slice them into long thin strips.  Add them to the slow cooker and cook for another hour or until the steak roast is tender.
5. Stir the cornstarch and cold water together in the small bowl until there are no lumps and set aside.
6. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and allow it to rest on the cutting board.
7. Pour the rest of the contents of the crock into the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch-y water to the boiling liquid and stir until it thickens. Remove from the heat.
8. Cut the roast into serving size pieces and stir into the warm sauce.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Healthy, colorful, easy, inexpensive, delicious