School doesn’t technically start until September 8th, but I’m so busy that I feel like I’m already back.  My summer internships seem to be ramping up rather than winding down and I’ve logged about 25 hours on the both of them in just the past three days.  There’s still newsletters to write, photographs to add to recipe cards, and recipe testing to do (seriously, email me if you have time to test something!  I can’t eat enough to do them all myself.)  Plus, looking through my planner I see 6 hours of orientation volunteering tomorrow, a meeting Wednesday, 8 hours of magazine delivery Thursday (the fall Edible Boston is here!), and then more recipe work for Mass Farmers Markets.

What this means is that I have time to neither cook nor shop.  Fortunately my CSA share does a lot of my shopping for me, so all I have to do is find quick ways to use what comes in it.  This week I turned to stir frying for my quick-fix.

Easy Eggplant and Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb grass-fed beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 spring onions, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• White parts of 3 baby bok choy or 1 regular bok choy, diced (should be about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 small Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms

Recipe:

1. Place the beef, half the garlic and ginger, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, and all of the vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce into a ziplock bag.  Remove as much of the air as possible and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 and no more than 4 hours.
2.  Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to medium in a 4 quart pot.  Add the rice and stir to get each grain evenly coated in oil.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup chicken stock, 3/4 cup water, and the salt.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain the beef and reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade.
4. Heat a wok or a large pan set so that only 1/2 is over the burner to high heat.  Add the remain 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
5. Cook the remaining ginger, garlic, and the spring onions for about 2 minutes, until brown and tender.  Move to the edge of the wok or the cool side of the pan.
6. Add the beef and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes.  Move the beef to the side with the ginger, garlic, and onions.
7. Add the bell pepper and bok choy and allow to brown, 2-3 minutes.
8. Add the eggplant and brown, about 2 minutes.  Then stir everything together and add the reserved 1/2 cup of marinade.  Add the shiitake mushrooms and allow everything to cook together for about 5 minutes.
9. Serve the vegetables and meat over the rice and enjoy!