Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chili

I love asparagus season. Between my my in-law growing it in their garden and our local farmer's market we have tons of fresh asparagus. We usually grill our asparagus to serve as a side dish, but this year we had so much I went in search of new and different recipes. I found this recipe on Sarah's blog, A Taste of Home Cooking, and it is originally from Bon Appetit magazine. Ron and I do not make a lot of Asian style dishes, but when we do we usually love them. I always end up kicking myself for not doing it more often! This recipe is really easy I made a few changes to the original recipe, but stuck pretty close to the original. I decreased the amount of oil and only used olive oil because Ron has an allergy to sesame. I also doubled the amount of asparagus because we has so much and to add more bulk to the entree. Ron and I absolutely loved this meal. I thought the spicy sweet flavors were delicious and the asparagus was wonderful with the pork. I am excited to make this again....we happen to have one last bunch of asparagus in our fridge...perhaps it will be sooner than later!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry, brandy or Madeira (I used brandy)2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 bunches thin to medium asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
1 jalapeño, minced with seeds
2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brandy, and cornstarch. Add the pork and toss to blend.

Heat 2 Tbl of olive oil in a heavy large wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, chili, and ginger. Toss until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer asparagus mixture to plate.

Add remaining  tablespoon olive oil to wok. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until browned, using wooden spoon to break up pork into small pieces, 2 to 3 minutes.

Return asparagus mixture to wok. Add oyster sauce, honey and rice vinegar. Stir-fry until pork is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add water by tablespoonfuls if it becomes too dry. Add green onions; toss to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over steamed rice.