You married a vegetarian, your teenager announces she no longer eats red meat, or your vegan friend is coming to dinner. What are you going to cook to satisfy everyone? The good news is that you don’t have to make two meals or serve bland tofu dogs to the vegetarians. My strategy is simple: Prepare a vegetarian main dish that’s delicious on its own, set some aside for the non-meat-eater, and then add meat or seafood to the rest of the meal. Dinner’s on the table fast, and everyone gets to enjoy the same supper without your having to do double duty in the kitchen.

Dried shiitake mushrooms add an almost “meaty” flavor to the vegetarian portion of this fresh and simple version of a Chinese take-out classic. Serve with steamed rice.

• 8 oz. skirt or flank steak, sliced across the grain 1/4“ thick
• 1 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 small clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 cup boiling water for 20 minutes
• 1/4 cup black bean garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee brand)
• 2 Tbs. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. Asian chile sauce or paste
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 lb. broccoli, crowns cut into florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

1. Combine the steak, soy sauce, and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Drain the mushrooms, reserving 23 cup of the soaking liquid. Discard the stems and thinly slice the caps.
3. In a small bowl, combine the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and the black bean sauce, wine, cornstarch, and chile sauce. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch and set aside.
4. Heat 1 Tbs. of the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, 15 seconds.
5. Add the broccoli and1/4 cup water, cover, and steam until the broccoli is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the black bean sauce mixture and the mushrooms and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the cashews and toss to combine. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

For the vegetarian:

1. Transfer 2 heaping cups of the broccoli mixture to an individual serving bowl.

For the meat:

1. Put the skillet over high heat.
2. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and when hot, add the beef and its marinade.
3. Stir-fry until the meat is just browned, 45 to 50 seconds. Remove from the heat.
4. Return the remaining broccoli to the skillet and toss to combine with the beef.

Fine Cooking issue 103