Paleo Spicy Pork and Asparagus Stir-Fry

By ROBandSEAN

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil, ghee, or cooking fat of choice
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground pork, ground turkey (not the super lean stuff), or your favorite ground protein
• 2 red jalapenos, 2 Fresno peppers, or 2 Thai chilies, seeded and diced, OR 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (you can sub balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Details

Adapted from nomnompaleo.com

Preparation

Step 1

Grab your asparagus and get chopping! Start by trimming the tough ends off. I keep the thick rubber bands on the asparagus, spy where the ends morph from green to whitish (the tough part), and slice through the whole bundle at that point. (The method where you snap each piece of asparagus to find the “breaking point” is both tedious and unnecessary.)
Next, discard the tough ends in the compost bin and slice the asparagus crosswise into ½-inch thick coins, down to the tips.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, swirl in the cooking fat so you have a thin layer of fat coating the bottom.
As soon as the fat is shimmering, toss in the shallots and a sprinkle of salt.
Cook, stirring, for a couple minutes or until the shallots are softened.
Toss in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the ground pork and break it up with spatula.
Sprinkle on some salt and increase the heat to medium-high.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
Toss in the asparagus coins and minced chilies, and cook until the asparagus are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. (You can measure out the seasonings ahead of time in a small bowl, and then dump everything in all at once.)
Turn off the heat and taste a bite. If necessary, adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Toss in the scallions and holler at your family to get to the table!