Sacramento Digs Gardening: Bok choy subs for spinach in this versatile egg dish

As with many greens, bok choy harvest seems to come all at once. Of course, it’s wonderful for stir fry, but what else can bok choy do?

Think of bok choy as two vegetables in one. Treat the stringy, crunchy stems like celery and the leafy tops like spinach. That realization opens up a lot of bok choy possibilities.

Washed bok choy leaves in a white colander — Bok choy leaves, washed and ready to use.

This recipe uses both the bok choy stems and the green tops. A versatile frittata variation, bok choy bake makes a delicious side dish or anytime eggy entree.

Sautéing the bok choy stems and greens before baking keeps this egg dish from becoming soggy.

Bok choy bake

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups bok choy (1 medium head)

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil plus more to prepare baking dish

1 cup onion, chopped

4 eggs

½ cup half and half (or ¼ cup cream and ¼ cup milk)

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 to 3 dashes Tabasco sauce

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter or grease 9-by-9-inch baking dish; set aside.

Prepare bok choy. Cut leaves from root and wash well, then pat dry. With a sharp knife or scissors, separate stems from leaves. Tear greens into large pieces; set aside. Chop stems crosswise.

White ceramic dish containing finished bok choy bake — Baked and golden, ready to serve.

Melt butter or heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped bok choy stems and chopped onion. Sauté until soft. Add bok choy greens to the pan, a handful at a time. Sauté, stirring often, until all the greens are limp and cooked, but still bright green, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add half and half or milk and cream. Stir in cheeses and Tabasco sauce. Add bok choy and onion mixture.

Pour egg mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipe recipes Sacramento greens gardening winter vegetables vegetables produce management pak choi bok choy

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Garden checklist for week of Feb. 8

Dodge those raindrops and get things done! Your garden needs you.

* Start your spring (and summer) garden. Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots. Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions. Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before they bloom. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees soon after a rain. But remember: Oils need at least 24 hours to dry to be effective. Don’t spray during foggy weather or when rain is forecast.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Remove aphids from blooming bulbs with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.

* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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