Stir-Fried Tofu and Bok Choy with Cashew Sauce

I have never been one to keep up with the trends, nor have I ever been a trendsetter. So you might be a little shocked with my next two statements. Bok Choy is the new carrot. Cashew is the new peanut. This is good stuff, not to be missed. Run now before you can't find Bok Choy and Cashews anywhere! Hmmm...I see you are still here. Turns out I am not so good at the whole trendsetting thing. That doesn't mean I don't know what I am talking about here.
Fairbanks has the best Bok Choy. If you live here and aren't eating Bok Choy this time of year, you are missing out. Yeah, I know Fairbanksans are all about the carrots and I like them too. I'm telling you the Bok Choy is flying under the radar here. I think people should be lined up at the market for it.
Of course this whole trendsetting thing was inspired by a silly dinner conversation the other night in which David said I think this dish should be the new Peanut Sauce. In reply I joked, "cashew is the new peanut".
We eat our fair share of peanut sauce, so to have something to replace it is really saying something. I think peanut sauce will become the winter menu item, it is more stick to your ribs. During the summer I like the lighter, milder flavor of the cashew sauce. In any case it was the perfect pairing with Bok Choy. A peanut sauce would have been way too much, covering up the delicate flavor. The cashew sauce was a perfect compliment.

Soba Noodles with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Last night I could not decide between these two recipes from Vegetarian Times:
Two Broccoli Stir-Fry on Soba Noodles

Udon Noodles with Walnuts and Pomegranates

They both looked really good and used several items from our CSA. I am feeling CSA pressure right now because our next box is coming on Thursday and we still have quite a bit left from last week. I decided to combine the elements I liked from both recipes and see how it went. Surprisingly, my biggest complaint was that it really didn't have a lot of flavor. It was lacking any "real" sauce that would stick to the noodles. As much as I like Meyer Lemons, they may have been a little too mild for this recipe.

Soba Noodles with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Pomegranate
adapted from Vegetarian Times
1 8-oz. pkg. soba noodles
Juice of one meyer lemon
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. meyer lemon zest
2 Tbs. toasted walnut oil, divided
1 12-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 cups broccoli florets
1 ½ cups red kale chopped
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
5 green onions, white and green parts chopped (about 1/3 cup)
Cook noodles in boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Stir together lemon juice, soy sauce, maple syrup and lemon zest in bowl. Set aside. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add tofu cubes, and cook 10 minutes, or until browned, turning occasionally. Add garlic and ginger to skillet; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add broccoli and Kale; cover and fry 3 to 4 minutes, or until just tender. Remove cover, stir in soy sauce mixture; stir-fry 1 minute, or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Top with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Stir Fried Brussel Sprouts with Soba Noodles

From Asparagus to Zucchini has been my CSA bible this summer. Not only does it have some really great recipes, but it is a great resource for storing produce as well. This book was put out by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. It is arranged by vegetable rather than season like a lot of farm cookbooks. There are a lot of simple recipes that I have really appreciated. I am feeling rather sad that our fresh produce season has nearly come to an end. It was a really poor season this year for the farms in Fairbanks and although I was sad we never got fresh garlic and our CSA was quite meager, I was also thankful that I have not bought produce with the exception of garlic and ginger at Fred Meyer for over 2 months now. Between our CSA and the Farmers Market we have still eaten quite well. Our garden didn't do so well, but it was really a hard season for a first year garden. We will try again next summer. We will enjoy our last week of fresh produce here in Fairbanks and we will stock up on squash, potatoes, and carrots along with the 20 lbs. of raspberries in our freezer to make the season last a little longer. The thing I will miss the most is all the fresh herbs from Basically Basil. They have brought us some wonderful Spanikopita and Tabouli salad this summer. I couldn't resist the Brussel Sprouts fresh on their stalk at the market today. I made Sesame Garlic Brussel Sprouts and added them to a stir fry with snow peas, chard, carrots, garlic, ginger and soba noodles and of course pork dumlings on the side!

Sesame Garlic Brussel Sprouts
from Asparagus to Zucchini
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds brussel sprouts, trimmed
4-5 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed pepper, garlic, and 3 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Blanch the brussel sprouts in boiling water until partially tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain well. Heat wok, or large heavy skillet over high heat 2-4 minutes. Add a small amount of the peanut oil, swirl the pan to coat the surface, and add about a third of the sprouts. Stir-fry until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain on paper towels. Stir-fry the remaining sprouts similarly, in batches. Add stir-fried brussel sprouts to soy sauce mixture and toss well. Makes 6 servings.

Steamed Pork and Cabbage Dumplings

I have a really bad habit of not reading recipes all the way through before deciding what I am going to make for dinner. Usually I just read through the ingredient list, make sure I have everything (although I have gone wrong here as well) and dive in. Most of the time this works out fine, sometimes we don't eat dinner until 10pm! Last night I picked up my second to last share of the season from our Calypso Farm CSA. There was a lovely head of romanesco along with a nice bunch of cilantro in our share.

Even thought we just had Cilantro Noodle Bowls for dinner last week, I decided to make this recipe again. I actually served the dish warm this week and cooked the romanesco a little longer than the recipe recommended. It was really yummy last week, but this week I thought it was even better. I also tossed in some radish greens with the romanesco, mostly because they were there, but it added a nice flavor.

It was the second part of our dinner that I got in a little over my head. I have been wanting to make potstickers or pork dumplings for a while and I thought I would give it a go. Let's just say that I missed the part in the recipe about letting the cabbage sit for 1/2 hour and the part about letting the filling chill for 1/2 hour. So, I skipped that whole part altogether and just pushed on. The only thing I couldn't figure out is why I had so much extra filling. I made 18 dumplings and it barely made a dent in the bowl of filling. The dog still ended up eating 6 of the dumplings. In any case I actually read the recipe afterward and discovered that if you use wonton wrappers (which I did) the recipe makes 40 dumplings. I also found out that you can freeze them and cook them up later. So, I will make the rest of the dumplings tomorrow after work (the filling will be nice and chilled by then) and freeze them. In the end with all my errors they still turned out really well and actually looked like real steamed dumplings. I loved the fresh ginger flavor. These may be the best steamed dumplings I have ever eaten. The sauce (bottom of page)also has a really good flavor and I highly recommend you use the chili oil.The recipe came from the recent Cook's Illustrated Specialty publication, Fall Entertaining. One last note: I steamed the dumplings on a rack in a roasting pan. I don't really like them browned.

STEAMED PORK AND CABBAGE DUMPLINGS
INGREDIENTS
Filling
3 cups minced napa cabbage leaves (about 1/2 medium head)
3/4 teaspoon table salt

3/4 pound ground pork
4 minced scallions (about 6 tablespoons)
2 egg whites , lightly beaten
4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


Dumplings
24 round gyoza or wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water , plus extra for brushing

1. For the filling:: Toss cabbage with the salt in colander set over a bowl and let stand until cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes. Press the cabbage gently with rubber spatula to squeeze out any excess moisture, the transfer to a medium bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mixture is cold, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
2. For the dumplings: Working with 4 wrappers at a time (keep the remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap), follow the photos below to fill, seal, and shape the dumplings using a generous 1 teaspoon of the chilled filling per dumpling. Transfer the dumplings to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling; you should have about 24 dumplings. (The dumplings can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day, or frozen for up to 1 month. Once frozen, the dumplings can be transferred to a zipper-lock bag to save space in the freezer; do not thaw before cooking.)
3. Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels; set aside. Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil over the bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet and arrange half of the dumplings in the skillet, with a flat side facing down (overlapping just slightly if necessary). Place the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the dumplings, without moving, until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low, add 1⁄2 cup of the water, and cover immediately. Continue to cook, covered, until most of the water is absorbed and the wrappers are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Uncover the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, without stirring, until the dumpling bottoms are well browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes more. Slide the dumplings onto the paper towel-lined plate, browned side facing down, and let drain briefly. Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter and serve with scallion dipping sauce (see related recipe). Let the skillet cool until just warm, then wipe it clean with a wad of paper towels and repeat step 3 with the remaining dumplings, oil, and water.


SCALLION DIPPING SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 medium scallion , white and green parts, minced

Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve.