6.06.2011

Meatless Monday: Ginger Garlic Bok Choy Pasta

Opening Day at the Coventry Regional Farmers' Market yesterday featured loads of plants and seedlings, perfect for those of us getting started on our summer gardens. We picked up some morning glories to decorate our porch, some lavender to fragrance our bathroom, and some peas and cantaloupe to fill up our vegetable/fruit/berry garden (and, eventually, our bellies!). Soon we'll work on the front garden where we'll plant our herbs and, of course, a nice variety of tomatoes. We're getting there.

That said, there wasn't much by way of produce at the market yesterday. But we did find, and buy, some beautiful red baby bok choy that has become the focus for today's Meatless Monday recipe. We sauteed the bok choy with fresh ginger and garlic using tips and tricks we found at the blog Steamy Kitchen, then we tossed it with pasta for a quick, fresh, light, meatless meal fit for an early summer evening.



First, we carefully trimmed the stem of the bok choy, and separated and rinsed each tender leaf. Then we finely minced two cloves of garlic and grated about two teaspoons of fresh ginger. These we added to a tablespoon of canola oil inside a cold wok (below, left), so nothing would burn and taste bitter. A few red pepper flakes would give the dish some zing!

 









We heated the wok over medium heat and waited for the smell of garlic and ginger cooking (above, right). Then we added the bok choy leaves and quickly tossed them to coat them in the aromatic oil.  



To lightly steam the leaves, we poured in three tablespoons of water, then covered the wok and allowed it to cook for a minute. We carefully tossed our cooked pasta (farfalle tonight) into the wok with the leaves and drizzled our "Ginger Garlic Bok Choy Pasta" with toasted sesame oil to finish it. What a flavorful dish!



Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound baby bok choy, trimmed and rinsed
3 tablespoons water
1/2 pound pasta
kosher salt
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Boil water for pasta and prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, pour the oil into a cold wok (or large skillet). Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the wok, then turn the heat to medium. When the garlic and ginger become fragrant, stir in the bok choy leaves. Toss quickly but carefully so that all leaves are coated with the oil, about 20 seconds. Pour in the water, cover, and allow to cook for one minute. Toss cooked pasta into the wok, season with salt to taste, and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.




16 comments:

Lori Lynn said...

nice combination of ingredients!
LL

Lomo said...

I love ginger and garlic!! looks wonderful!

Erin said...

I love the farmer's market! So great when you can get amazing fresh ingredients that were just picked, and make them that day!

jck said...

The dish sounds delicious. I love those flavors.

And this year I promise to get to the Coventry Regional Farmers' Market!

tiffany said...

I love all of these flavors! I'm a big fan of bok choy!

CHeryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com said...

Garlic and Ginger are a favorite flavor combination, this looks wnderful!

Mama J said...

This looks great!

kat said...

Yum, that is my kind of summer pasta

Jocie's Mom said...

Awesome dish. Never thought of bok choy pasta before. Mmm! Buzzed :)

Belinda @zomppa said...

Light and fresh and perfect for hot days and nights.

Susan said...

What a great combo ... love the sound of this dish! I would imagine subbing any fresh spring green ... chard, spinach, bok choy. Yum!

Love the sound of your gardens too! Reminds me of a house in Beverly, MA that I once lived near. The lady planted her entire front yard in flowers and vegetables ... all behind a white picket fence. Sooo charming... and productive!

Simply Life said...

Great idea! I've just started cooking with bok choy for the first time!

Jason Phelps said...

What a fantastic recipe! I've not often used bok choy, but I might just have to for this.

Jason

mjskit said...

I love bok choy and am always looking for recipes that use it. This one looks great! Ginger and garlic - how could you go wrong?!? Thanks for the recipe.

Carole said...

Great idea for bok choy. Thanks for linking it in t Food on Friday. Cheers

Chocokide said...

Thanks for the recipe. DH and I enjoyed this for dinner tonight - added 1 cup of sliced zucchini, 1 cup of onions, 1/2 cup of mushrooms and diced tofu. Will make again for sure.