So, Chicago... where, by the way, we had snow flurries!!! With an audition the next morning followed by getting back on the bus to Cleveland for the final performances of Richard III, Nick and I both wanted some protein after two meatless days...
A quick perusal of the fridge netted some three-quarters-cooked minced cauliflower, a very sad half an onion, sriracha, Thai red curry paste, 4 white mushrooms, and a bag of frozen peas. This sent us off to Trader Joe's for scallions and ground beef, and a package of their wicked, addictive Thai lime and chile mixed nuts.
I sautéed and then drained a pound of ground beef... then sprinkled it with a teaspoon of smoked paprika...
Separately, I sautéed the sliced onion, the quartered mushrooms, the white part of the scallions... and added that to the cauliflower. Then I fried the curry paste in some oil and deglazed the pan with water that I'd used to rinse out the curry paste jar.
I added a shot of sriracha, turned off the heat, and added some frozen peas.
Next, I combined this mixture with the ground beef, added a bit more water, then covered and simmered it all for about 5 minutes. Off the heat, I added a bit of lime zest, a pinch of salt, a pinch of red pepper and about 1/2 cup of the nut mix... chopped.
We piled this on jasmine rice, garnished with scallion greens and more chopped nuts.
Good friend... Good food... Just good!