“It looks like Chappy took a crappy in my gumbo”

Last week, Dylan texted me a video of Gordon Ramsay making "chille beef lettuce wraps" with the comment that "These are so good. We've made them ~5 times now." My first thought was that we'd obviously have to try these, given the sterling recommendation and how much I appreciate it when you all send me new dishes to try.

 

But then, of course, I immediately thought of Cassie and JC's all-time favorite Gordon Ramsay video from an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, in which Chef Ramsay first destroys the food at Chappy's on Church restaurant in Nashville, then tries to help them do better. (I guess the changes didn't take because Chappy soon reintroduced his old menu, but the restaurant closed after that anyway.) My favorite part is when Chappy "beats the crap" out of a buttery filet mignon with a meat pounder to "tenderize" it as part of some surf-and-turf type dish ("steak and lobster rocket") that went for $36.95, then says "Chef Ramsay is a dumbass" for denigrating his food.

 

After making the dish Dylan recommended, I can definitely say that Chef Ramsay is not a "dumbass." Dylan is right, these wraps are so good, Mom, Cassie, and I all loved them. Chef Ramsay makes them with a mixture of beef and pork, but Dylan said he makes them with Beyond Beef, which is what we used. (It looks kinda gross when you take it out of the package, but it really does cook up a lot like beef.) Dylan also advises that you "ditch that zero-nutrient lettuce for some beefy [braised] collard greens," but I love the contrast of the crisp lettuce leaves, which is a classic pairing.

Chile Beef Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from Gordon Ramsay via his website and entertaining video

 

Time: <40 minutes

For Mom’s sake, I used only one Fresno pepper (which looks exactly like a red jalapeño) in the entire dish, i.e., half of a pepper in each of the dressing and the stir fry. Fresno peppers aren’t much hotter than jalapeños but they have a great flavor, so you can definitely use more than that. In my opinion, a little fish sauce goes a long way, so I only used a splash in each of the dressing and the stir fry. Chef Ramsay’s original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon in the stir fry and 1 to 2 teaspoons (to taste) in the dressing, which sounds like an awful lot to me, but what do I know and YMMV. You can also leave it out entirely or use a vegetarian substitute.

For the dressing
Juice of ½ lime (zest the lime first, then juice the whole thing and use most of it in the dressing and the stir fry)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
a splash of fish sauce, or to taste (see note)
½ of a red chile (such as Fresno), thinly sliced (see note)
a small handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

For the stir fry
Olive oil
1 pound of Beyond Beef, or ½ pound (225 grams) each of ground pork and lean ground beef
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large knob of ginger (~4cm), peeled and finely chopped
1 or 2 red chiles (such as Fresno), deseeded and finely chopped (see note)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
a splash of fish sauce (see note)
Juice of ⅓ lime and all of the zest
3 scallions or spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 or 2 small heads of Bibb (or butter) or gem lettuce, separate into leaves

    1. Do your mise en place: Like all stir fries, this is a dish where you absolutely have to get all of your mise en place done first, so remember your first cooking lessons and chop and measure everything now (use some little prep bowls), before you start cooking anything.
    2. For the dressing: In a small serving bowl, stir all of the dressing ingredients together. Adjust to taste.
    3. For the stir fry: Add a good glug of olive oil to a 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season the “meat” well with salt and pepper. Break into small pieces while adding it to the pan. Fry until brown and very crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes in a hot pan, stirring frequently and continuing to break the “meat” into smaller pieces. Transfer to a plate, after draining as much of the fat as possible if you’re using real beef and pork; this wasn’t necessary for Beyond Beef.
    4. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Carefully wipe out the hot skillet with a paper towel. Add the toasted sesame oil to the pan, then the garlic, ginger, chile, and sugar. Season with a pinch of salt, then fry until very fragrant, up to 2 minutes. Stir the drained “meat” back into the mixture.
    5. Stir in a splash of fish sauce, then the lime zest and juice. Stir in the scallions and fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
    6. To serve: Spoon some of the stir fry mixture onto each of the lettuce leaves, and drizzle with some of the dressing. Serve promptly. Serves 3.