Nonni's Chow Mein

Sometimes, you just need a big bowl of comfort food.  That's what I got on Tuesday.  Nonni's Chow Mein.  This dish is something that my mom used to make once in a while when I was younger, and I always loved it.  And somehow, in the move of my Aunt and Grandmother (temporarily) into my mother's house, we ended up with about 2 heads of celery in the fridge.  So that means.....Chow Mein!!

This is seriously a very easy dish to make.  In true Nonni form, there are no exact measurements for anything - it's all dependent on what you like.  But I tried to write everything down, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Nonni's Chow Mein

Ingredients

• Sliced Onion (about 2-3, depending on the size)
• Largely chopped celery (as much as you want, we probably used about a whole head)
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 can bean sprouts, drained
• 1 can mixed Chinese vegetables (or just a can of water chestnuts), drained
• Black Pepper
• Cornstarch
• Soy Sauce

The Method to Nonni's Madness

• Put the ground hamburger into a pan with a little bit of oil and break it up.  You don't want the mean to get overly browned - just so it's not pink anymore.  
• Add in the onion, and mix together and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes
• Add in the chopped celery, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the celery is softened.  
• Add in the bean sprouts and vegetables, and black pepper.  Don't add in the sprouts until close to the end, because they really only need to heat up.
• Mix together a little bit of water, a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch, and the soy sauce and add this into the pot.  This helps everything thicken up a bit.
• Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.  Taste it, and add salt if needed.

Serve the Chow Mein with either white rice, or the Chinese Crunch Noodles.

And ENJOY!!