Back in January I opened my mailbox to find the latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine. On the cover was a picture of Spicy Pork and Mustard Green soup that prompted me to immediately run to the grocery store, buy all the ingredients and cook it for dinner. It was spicy and warming and perfect. Despite intending to make it again as soon as possible, months passed and I never got around to it. For some reason, when I picked up my bok choy and garlic scapes last week, it reminded me of that soup. Which is odd because neither ingredient is in the original recipe. And I just happened to have the chicken bones from week one simmering into stock in the crockpot. I looked at the forecast and noted that Saturday's high was 70 degrees, as perfect as you're going to get for soup in the summer. I went to the store that morning to purchase some ground pork, returned home, and my husband informs me we're having guests over for dinner. I put the soup on hold and grilled hamburgers instead. Sunday we have friends over for a Father's Day brunch. No soup again. Monday I make tacos for my husband's birthday dinner. No soup again. Tuesday brings 90 degree heat and humidity. Not exactly soup weather. No matter, I'll just crank up the air and pretend it's soup weather. Air conditioner broken. Postpone soup again. So here we are on a hot and sweaty Wednesday, no air conditioning, and I HAVE TO MAKE THE SOUP. So I did. And I liked it. A LOT. Good news for you - the temps are about to fall, and if you're a Fresh Fork subscriber, you are about to pick up a mountain of greens, any of which could be used in this soup. Follow the original Bon Appetit recipe, or this one and swap in your collards, chard, kale, or spinach for the bok choy and the green onions for the scapes. It's all good.
Udon Noodle Soup with bok choy (Adapted from Bon Appetit)
1 lb. ground pork
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. grated peeled ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Sea salt, black pepper
8 cups chicken stock
2-3 large heads baby bok choy, sliced
1 bunch garlic scapes
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 14 oz package of fresh udon noodles
Mix pork, garlic, ginger, pepper, red pepper, and cumin in a bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring to crumble, until browned and cooked through. Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes. Add bok choy, garlic scapes, soy sauce and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally until bok choy is tender, about 5 minutes. Add udon noodles and simmer until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This week's bag:
Small Omnivore
1 pack pork chops (2 chops)
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 head kohlrabi
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch radishes
1 bunch green onions
1 head lettuce
2 each zucchini
1 quart strawberries
Large Omnivore
small omnivore plus:
1 bunch spinach
1 half pint sorghum
1 bunch kale
1 pack chicken brats
Tons of greens to use this week. That original soup recipe above happened to be part of a fantastic feature on supergreens, so check that out for a few ideas. Or just throw them in smoothies, saute them and fold them into omelets or quiches, wilt them into pastas. One of my favorite things to do when I have an abundance of greens I need to use is to simply simmer them in a little stock with bacon or ham and some onion. I know radishes typically aren't on the top of everyone's favorite list, but I love them sliced and served on baguette slices with some really good butter and salt. Or this Roasted Radish and Herbed Ricotta omelet looks like a great breakfast or dinner with some strawberries on the side. They also make a great garnish for soups or tacos. Or you can combine them with the kohlrabi in this slaw. My husband is a big fan of the kohlrabi when I make it into a puree similar to this one from Barefoot Contessa (I just sub in kohlrabi for the celery root). I also thought this Kohlrabi, fennel, and apple slaw looked good, or you could try it au gratin. Sorghum is like a sweetener or syrup, try it place of honey or maple syrup in recipes or as a topping for biscuits.
I'm spending the weekend in Chicago with some friends, which in my world means food. You can check out what I'm eating there by following me at @melalten on instagram.
No comments:
Post a Comment