It's time to clean out the refrigerator, lots of little odds and ends in there, and in these times especially, I am not about wasting food. The first thing I see is ground pork and some veggies that are needing to be used. Hmmm... what will it be? Meatloaf? Meatballs? A quick web search on "ground pork recipes" comes up with more than a few for stir fry. This sounds perfect! I read about 10 and then come up with my own version based on what I have hanging around. Super easy and I hope you like it!

Serves 4 - 6.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 4 c. chopped veggies, using what you have on hand (a challenge!). I use fresh onion, mushroom, one baby bok choy, some asparagus tips and slivered carrots, plus (1) can of sliced water chestnuts and (1) can bamboo shoots from the pantry
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, as needed
• 4 T. fresh grated ginger
• 3 T. fresh minced garlic
• 4 T. (or more) soy sauce
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1T. (or more) oyster sauce (you can use hoisin instead for a bit more sweetness)
• 1 T. (or more) rice wine vinegar (you can substitute red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, too!)
• Chopped scallions and/or cilantro for garnish. Sesame seeds would be appropriate but I don't have any.

First, swirl some oil in a hot skillet or wok. When the oil is hot, add the pork (I try to get mine close to room temperature if I can). Break it into chunks (see above) and then let it hang until it gets a nice browning on one side. When brown, give it a stir so all the pink is facing down (good job for tongs) and then let this side brown, too. It's about here that I add 1 T. of the soy sauce, a good shake of pepper flakes and maybe a tiny splash of chicken broth. After a few more stirs and shakes, I pour the meat and all the accumulated juices in a bowl and set aside.

Stir-fry your vegetables for about 5 minutes, depending on thickness (I leave mine pretty crunchy). Add ginger, garlic, the rest of the soy sauce (3 T. or so), the oyster sauce, and the rice wine vinegar. Stir well until mixed, adding a small abount of chicken broth and covering if needed. I know, not a traditional way to stir fry, but I don't have a wok and like I said I cut my veggies VERY thick this time! When that the veggies are properly done, add the ground pork mixture, stir and taste. If you want more heat, add a few more red pepper flakes. If you want more of the sour/pungent taste, add a little of the vinegar. If you want to minimize either of those tastes, a litle more oyster suce and a splash of chicken broth will do. Have fun with it! Once bubbling, blended and delicious, spoon a bit over some perfectly cooked long grain rice, brown rice, rice noodles, ramen noodles, etc. So simple yet so tasty and VERSATILE! Enjoy and thanks for following!