Thankfully when we celebrated the feast of St. Andrew Kim back on September 20th, our Korean recipe was great for a quick and easy weeknight meal. The sauce is so delicious it even gets my kids to eat their broccoli! For one of them it is a much bigger deal than the other, but a dinner victory nonetheless.
St. Andrew Kim was the first Korean to be ordained a priest and helped lead Korean Christians through a time of terrible persecution. My son noted that today where we live we don't have to worry about things like this. I told him that in Korea it is better now too - when my dad was in Korea several years ago he could go visit Catholic pilgrimage sites without fear. There are many challenges we face as Catholics in today's modern world, but it is good to remember to be thankful for the fact that we can practice our faith without fear of death, and to thank the martyrs who have sacrificed before us. Without St. Andrew Kim and his companions and the sacrifices they made, I'm sure those beautiful places my dad got to visit wouldn't exist. We must also remember that in other places in the world today there are Christians who still face persecution and risk death simply for practicing their faith - it's current events, not ancient history. Keep them in your prayers to help grant them strength and safety.
Using the Korean inspiration of St. Andrew Kim, we made one of husband's favorite things to eat and one my favorite words to say - bulgogi. Basically a Korean barbecued beef. I think that if you are a fan of teriyaki, you will likely also be a fan of bulgogi. It's a little more savory and spicy than teriyaki, but still similar with the meat being cooked in a sweet sauce with Asian flavors. Though not traditional for bulgogi, we made ours in the crockpot which is great for a weeknight. Throw it together in the morning and all you have to do to get dinner ready after work is make a pot of rice.
Crockpot Bulgogi
1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced beef (I found some already "thinly sliced for carne picata" as it stated on the package)
carrots and onions cut into small chunks
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
8 tsp minced garlic
4 tsp sesame oil
pepper
sesame seeds for garnish
Combine the meat, vegetables and marinade ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours and serve with rice. The extra sauce in the crockpot is great to saute vegetables in, like broccoli!
St. Andrew Kim, pray for us.
