SPICY Hot & Sweet Sirloin Lo Mein

This is a very spicy dish.  Not so hot it takes your head off but r-e-a-l-l-y spicy.  I used an ingredient that I have never before even tasted much less used in a recipe.  Pepper Jam.  Clint and Tonya Menke had given us a jar of homemade Pepper Jam for Christmas with the directions to eat on crackers paired with cream cheese.  That sounds all too conventional so when I came across a Flank steak recipe calling for pepper jelly in the sauce the wheels started to turn.  I dug out the jar of hot jalapeno jam and got to work.  We loved the jazzed up steak and noodle dish and we will certainly do this again!

Ingredients for Hot and Sweet Sirloin Lo Mein:

8 Oz.  Fettochini noodles
1 pound trimmed sirloin steak sliced thin
1/2 C. hot pepper jam or jelly (I used jam.)
1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. water
1 T. honey
1 1/2 T.cornstarch
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
2 T. Safflower oil
6-7 Oz. fresh sugar snap peas, sliced in half lenghtwise (I used 1/2 of a 15 Oz. pkg.)
1 1/2 C. shredded carrots
4-5 green onions cut into 1" matchsticks

Cook pasta according to package direction.  Drain and return the noodles to the pan they were cooked in and cover to retain their heat. 

Thinly slice the steak and set aside.  Using a small bowl combine the jelly, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, salt and pepper and stir until the cornstarch dissolves.  Set aside.

Heat a large flat bottomed pan or skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.  Stir fry the steak for about 2-3 minutes.  The steak should be slightly pink.  Transfer to a dish and cover to keep warm.  Add more oil if needed and stir fry the peas and carrots for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the jelly mixture and add the onions, steak, and any juices from the meat that have accumulated.  Cook for about a minute until the sauce is thickened and boils. Toss the noodles with the steak and vegetables and plate on a large platter to serve or in shallow flat bottomed bowls.  Yield  4 servings.

Note:  I will be making hot Pepper jelly for the first time this year!!