We Have A Winner

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Bok Choy, Radish and Pea Shoots

I say spaghetti, because that is what I had in the house, but you can use anything from rice to any kind of noodle. Cook whatever you choose as usual.

for the sauce:

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
5 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

for the dish:

12 shrimp (you could also use chicken)
bunch baby bok choy
3 or 4 radish
handful of pea shoots
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
splash of soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped Cilantro


Mix the sauce until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok. When hot, cook shrimp for about a minute, just until they loose their translucent color. Set aside. Add the rest of the oil, cook the garlic for about 20 seconds, add the vegetables, cook about 20 seconds, then add mirin and soy sauce. Cook until boy choy leaves wilt. Add shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle cilantro.

Serve over either the spaghetti or rice. You can keep any unused sauce in fridge.

Woops!!

Power of suggestion maybe? Thursday night I was talking to a friend who was complaining about her CSA experience last year (different CSA) and the lack of variety in the crops. Apparently, she had received many more scallions than she ever needed. Each week they came, and she was not happy about it.

So yesterday, with my abundance of green vegetables, I planned to make a pea shoot and noodle dish and a dressing for the baby greens and arugula. One of the ingredients in both dishes was scallions and so I took out the long green shoots from my fridge. Cutting them, I thought they looked rather thin, but continued on my task for the dressing. It was only after finishing the dressing and tasting it that I realized they were not scallions, but chives!!!

What could I have been thinking? Other than looking similar in their length and color, they are

NOT.
THE SAME.
AT ALL.

Urrrggghh. I tried to get the chives out of the dressing all the while cursing myself for the momentary brain glitch. I recovered enough and substituting shallots as I had no scallions.

Both dishes ended up eatable, though not by the youngest member of the household, who was less than happy. While she normally loves noodles, these were pronounced "not oily enough" (??????? what does this mean???), and the pea shoots got the dreaded "no" sign, which for her is the slow and determined shake of the head back and forth, all the while staring at me with eyes that say:

"you.
shouldn't.
have.
made.
me.
try.
this.
you.
will.
pay.
later".

Lesson to be learned: appearances can be deceiving, except in the case of a young one's displeasure.


Here is the recipe for the dressing, which comes from the book, "From Asparagus to Zucchini":

1/3 cup sesame or olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, pressed into a paste
1-2 teaspoons grated fresh gingerroot or 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
dash of cayanne
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chopped green onion (scallions)

Pea Shoots???? (Week Two)

Rushing to beat the forecasted thunderstorm and sweaty from a Bikram yoga class, I quickly made my way to the farm stand, briefly greeting Ilsa and her young son. "Wow", I thought, "there's a lot of green this week". Thinking back to my quick stop yesterday, at the request of Ariana, for more spinach, I now have a fridge full of leafy things. I know what to do with most of it, but pea shoots???

With a little searching on the Internet (word of caution - do not type pee for pea, unless you want a whole new take on "shoots") I found an entertaining and very informative British site that has a wealth of info on this unfamiliar vegetable. Apparently, they are much more common across the ocean.

 

Making it home in plenty of time, I poured myself a bit of the Apricot Nectar, from Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, NY. I mixed about a quarter of a glass with some sparkling water. The subtle taste of the apricots definitely quenched my thirst and I really enjoyed the fresh new flavor.

One of the challenges of all this produce is figuring out what to do with it. I have some ideas, but tonight's dinner will be particularly difficult as our busy schedule may leave limited time to prepare and eat. Better get thinkin'.