Recipe: The two-in-one vegetable in a frittata variation
Serve the bok choy bake warm or at room temperature. Debbie Arrington
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.
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.
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.
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Garden Checklist for week of May 5
Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:
* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.
* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.
* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.