This recipe separates the dark leaves from the lighter heads of the bok choy. The heads are grilled, but the leaves are sautéed. The result is a great combination of textures and flavors.
For an Asian-flavored variation, use soy sauce instead of balsamic vinegar, orange juice instead of lemon juice, and sesame seeds instead of pine nuts.
Thanks to Eat Drink Better for this recipe!
Ingredients:
- 3 heads of baby bok choy
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (not minced)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 T. balsamic vinegar
- Handful of pine nuts or chopped walnuts
- Romano cheese, grated
Directions:
- Slice heads of baby bok choy in half length-wise (leaves to stem). Soak in cool water for 10 minutes to perk them up and remove any grit hidden inside. While heads soak, heat olive oil in small frying pan. Add thinly sliced garlic and stir until just golden brown (about 1 minute). With a slotted spoon, remove garlic to a paper towel and take pan off heat.
- Take baby bok choy out of water and gently shake/pat dry. Slice off upper dark green parts of the leaves from the lighter heads. Coarsely chop leaves and set to the side. Brush both sides of heads with garlic-infused oil. Place with cut side up and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Place seasoned heads on grill heated to medium with cut side down. Cover grill for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove cover and turn heads over. There should be a nice golden color starting to appear. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over cut sides of heads. Cover again for 5 minutes.
- Remove cover and turn heads one last time back to the cut side. Remove from grill when fork-tender.
- After flipping the heads the first time, heat up the remaining oil in the small fry pan. When hot, add pine nuts or walnuts and toast slightly for a minute or two. Add chopped baby bok choy leaves and salt and pepper. Stir constantly until wilted, but still very green (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
- To assemble the dish, put heads on plate and top with leaves, nuts and a sprinkle of cheese. Add more balsamic vinegar if desired.
Hide your alfalfa…This recipe might make all other sprouts jealous.
GQ just named Brooklyn the coolest city on the planet (the whole PLANET, people), which is exciting because I did not realize that our borough had become an independent city once again. Also, I have a good feeling that this eponymous recipe will really catch on since the “city” I call home was given this honor by the same magazine that has articles which explain, “How to Dump Her Like a Man.”
I got the method for this recipe from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. A few changes: he calls for balsamic vinegar, which I omitted. Also, I added the pine nuts and parmesan, and sliced the garlic (he suggested leaving the garlic cloves whole).
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, cut into thick slices (3-5 slices per clove)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese (the “real” kind with the name imprinted on the rind)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the hard edge of the stem from the Brussels sprouts, then cut each in half through its axis. Put the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, arrange the sprouts in one layer, cut side down. Toss in the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook, undisturbed, until the sprouts begin to brown, 5-10 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the sprouts are quite brown and tender. (Bittman recommends 30 minutes, but I typically take them out of the oven in 15-20. I think it really depends on the size of your sprouts.)
- While the sprouts of cooking, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Toast the pine nuts in the dry skillet for a few minutes, shaking frequently to avoid burning. Remove from heat once the pine nuts are lightly browned and fragrant.
- Put the sprouts mixture in a serving dish, and sprinkle with the pine nuts and cheese. Serve hot or warm.
I like to pack my lunch for work, but get tired of sandwiches. As an easy alternative, I will sometimes make a hearty salad to have a few bites of as part of dinner, and then take some to go for lunch the next day. Thanks to Food and Wine magazine’s August 2011 issue for this recipe. You can substitute pretty much any large grain for the Israeli couscous (such as freekah or coarse bulgur). Do you have any other creative lunch ideas? Post them below or send me a message!
Ingredients:
- 6 cups packed arugula (6 ounces)
- 2 cups Israeli couscous (12 ounces)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pints small tomatoes (cherry or grape), halved
- 4 yellow or orange tomatoes, cut into 1-inch dice
Directions:
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the 6 cups of arugula and blanch for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the arugula to a colander. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain thoroughly.
- Add the Israeli couscous to the boiling water and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the couscous and spread it out on a large baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to prevent it from clumping. Let the couscous cool to room temperature.
- In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
- Squeeze the excess water from the blanched arugula and coarsely chop it. Transfer the arugula to a food processor. Add the pine nuts, garlic, cheese, and 1/2 cup olive oil and process until the pine nuts are finely chopped. Season the arugula pesto with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl and stir in the arugula pesto. Gently fold in the tomatoes.
fresh from brooklyn 