Braised Baby Bok Choy

 Gong Xi Fa Cai (Pronounced: gong she fa chai.) is how you say Happy New Year in Mandarin. This Friday kicks off Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse. If you happen to be a Horse like me, you are active, energetic, sexy, quick-witted, and a hard worker. You also love your Chinese vegetables and braise a mean bok choy.

If you've never tried bok choy in the past, now is your chance. It is shockingly easy to work with, great tasting (Mr. O-P who is not known for particularly liking vegetables gobbled his down), can be used in just about anything from salads to soups to casseroles, to a simple sauté. It has few calories, and offers both protein and antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and K.  As if this isn't enough, it's just so gosh darn cute!

Braised Baby Bok Choy

1 cup homemade chicken stock

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

3/4 lb. Melissa's baby bok choy, cleaned and trimmed

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring broth and butter to a simmer in a deep large skillet or a three-quart saucepan. Place bok choy, arranging so that bulb ends alternate to make maximum use of space. Simmer covered, until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Watch it as this happens rather fast. Using tongs, transfer bok choy to a heated serving dish and keep warm, covered, while you boil the remaining broth mixture until reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Stir in sesame oil to taste and pepper lightly. Pour mixture over bok choy.

If you want to get really special, after braising, chop off the leaves at the bottom, slice the bok choy in half, and form the two halves into this heart shape. How adorable would this be as a side dish to serve to your sweetie on Valentine's Day?

This post is linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday

Marvelous Mondays

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays At Our Home
The Scoop

Wow Us Wednesdays

Create It or Bake It

Full Plate Thursday

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Show and Tell Friday 

Seasonal Sundays

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper, and Spinach Torta Rustica

I’m wondering just how many people pass right by the Asian section in their produce department because, other than Asian cooking, they have no idea what to do with the likes of bok choy, Napa cabbage, or Shanghai greens.  I’m wondering this because I used to be one of those people.  Now, I do my fair share of Asian cooking, but when I wasn’t, I never bothered to toss any Asian produce into my cart.  Big mistake.  Not only are Asian greens nutritious, but they have a lot of flavor.  In fact, many of the greens can be substituted for spinach in recipes that you’ve probably been making for years; in doing so, you will not only gain nutrition, but also a lot of taste.  Whereas spinach can be a bit mundane (Do not come after me spinach lovers, I love it as much as you do!), Asian greens have a unique flavor and a bit of a peppery kick.  I also find they cook up faster and require far less draining than spinach.

Asian vegetable assortment.  Do not be afraid!

This recipe, from a 2008 issue of Bon Appétit, caught my eye the other day as, amazingly, it pretty much listed all of the oddball leftovers that I had in my fridge.  Recipes like this one, i.e. tortas and stratas, are very forgiving.  Keep the egg and cream mixture pretty much as written and toss in what you like. I did not have spinach, so I substituted, with great success,  Petite Shanghai greens.  I didn’t have a baguette, so I used some ciabatta rolls.  I didn’t have quite enough sausage, so I doubled up on the peppers.  It was as delicious as I had hoped, and will surely be made again and again, although probably not exactly the same way.  Give this recipe (and Asian greens) a try.

Hot from the oven.  Is this beautiful, or what?

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper, and Spinach Torta Rustica

16 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices, cut on slight diagonal
1 tablespoon butter
1 8 oz. package Melissa's Petite Shanghai greens
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 1/2 cups grated Fontina cheese, divided
3/4 cup diced drained Melissa's Fire Roasted Sweet red bell peppers (from 15.5-ounce jar)
6 large eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter 8x8x2-inch baking dish.

Place 8 baguette slices in bottom of dish; press 2 baguette slices onto each side.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large pot over medium-high heat.

Add petite Shanghai greens; toss until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to strainer; cool. Squeeze or pat dry, as necessary. Transfer to medium bowl.

Heat same pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Sauté until cooked through, breaking up, about 7 minutes.  Drain on plate lined with two paper towels.

Mix into wilted greens; mix in 1 cup cheese and peppers. Spread atop baguette slices in bottom of dish. Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend.

Whisk in last 4 ingredients. Pour over spinach mixture and stir lightly with fork to distribute evenly.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over. Bake torta until puffed and golden and center is set, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sunday's Best Party