Asian Greens
Sautéed Baby Bok (Pac) Choy
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09Food-t-002.html?_r=0
By SAM SIFTON
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, like canola
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 ½-inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste
4 bunches of baby bok choy, approximately 1½ pounds, cleaned, with the ends trimmed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water
Toasted sesame oilfor drizzling.
1. In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add garlic, ginger and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
2. Add bok choy and stir carefully to cover with oil, then cook for approximately 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, stock or water, then cover pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes more, until steam begins to escape from beneath the lid of the pan.
3. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid is close to evaporated and stalks are soft to the touch, approximately 3 minutes more.
4. Remove to a warmed platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Serves 4.
Braised Asian Greens with Soy and Garlic
Try this simple way to prepare Asian greens in a saucepan. It’s less messy than using a wok, and works especially well if you want to cook in large quantity.
Ingredients
2 TBSP peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (not crushed)
1 large bunch of Chinese broccoli, baby bok choy or other greens of your choice
1 DSP soy sauce
2 tsp cornflour
Method
Warm the oil in a small pan and add the garlic. Brown lightly, being careful not to burn the garlic. Put aside.
Prepare the vegetables by separating the leaves from the stems. Chop the stems into 2 inch pieces diagonally. Wash the vegetable components well and drain.
Place ¼ cup of water, the garlic-oil mixture and soy sauce in a saucepan and mix to combine. Cover with lid and bring to the boil.
Add the broccoli stems and braise, covered, for approximately 3 minutes. Toss in the leaves and braise for a further minute until they wilt.
Dissolve cornflour in ¼ cup of water and mix this into the liquid inside the saucepan. Turn up the heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
Transfer the greens onto a serving plate and drizzle with the sauce. Braised greens make a great side to rice and Asian dishes.
kale & walnut pesto
Ingredients
small bunch of kale (4-6 leaves, remove the thick part of the stems*)
¼ cup walnuts, toasted
½ to 1 clove of garlic
¼ cup olive oil (or more for a smoother pesto)
juice & zest of one lemon
salt & pepper to taste
optional: grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
(note: you can use all of the kale stems in your pesto, you will just have to boil them longer (separately) than the leaves. About 20 minutes, or until tender)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Blanch kale for about 30 seconds, remove and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Dry the kale a bit, squeeze out some of excess water and set on a towel for a few minutes more.
Blend everything together in a food processor. Pulse to create a chunky pesto, blend longer to create a smoother one. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, pepper, lemon, olive il as necessary
http://www.loveandlemons.com/2013/04/06/arugula-scramble-pesto/
beans on toast with greens
By Family Meal
Serves 4, with lots of leftover beans
For the beans:
3 cups dried borlotti beans (also called cranberry or, appropriately, Roman beans)
3 dried chiles de arbol, broken in half
1 sprig of sage
3 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
For the toasts:
2 handfuls of green -- tatsoi, arugula, or puntarelle
1 garlic clove
4 slices of good bread, we like filone
shaved Parmesan
Dump beans into a medium-sized pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain the water from the beans and cover again with cold water, throw in a handful of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer the beans over medium low heat until they are al dente -- about 2/3 of the way done. Remove the beans from the cooking liquid.
In a new pot, heat a couple of glugs of olive oil (3 tablespoons or so). Pop open the garlic cloves and toast then in the oil until lightly golden brown. Add the dried chiles and sage and let sizzle before adding the beans to the pot. Cover with cold water, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until the beans are soft while still retaining the integrity of their shape. We like to let the beans hang out in their liquid for a long as possible before serving -- overnight is best, but relaxing for an hour or two in their liquid is sufficient.
To assemble the toasts, reheat a portion of the cooked beans in a small saucepan. In a medium sauté pan heat a ¼ inch of olive oil until smoking hot. Place bread slices into the oil and fry until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Drain toasts on a paper towel lined plate. Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan, toast popped garlic clove in a glug of olive oil. Toss in the greens and sauté for 10 seconds or so until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Place a piece of toast on a plate, spoon warm beans over the toast and top with greens and shaved Parmesan.
honey-lemon mustard green salad
Serves 4 to 6
Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 20 min
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 thick slices whole wheat country-style bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bunches mustard greens
½ cup toasted walnuts
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Toss the bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil on a large baking sheet, then sprinkle the bread cubes with a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Toast the bread in the oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the croutons cool to room temperature.
Whisk the remaining 4 tablespoons together with the lemon juice, shallot, honey to taste, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Stack the mustard greens then roll them up into a tight cigar shape. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the mustard greens into thin ribbons. Toss the mustard greens with the dressing and sprinkle with the croutons and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve.