Fried Flowers!

This week at the farmers market a lovely box of squash blossoms caught my eye. I was feeling adventurous and so I decided to pick them up and have a go. As I was leaving the market I got soaked by a pretty strong downpour, so as I sat in the car waiting for it to pass I used the epicurious app on my iphone to find a recipe for what to do with them. Seems like the popular way to cook them is stuffed with cheese and fried.  Many of the notes said make sure you eat them the same day you buy them because they go bad very quickly. I had all intention of making them last night but by the time I got home the enthusiasm had passed.I went to the kitchn blog for some inspiration and decided to make them tonight as part of an all veggie night. Made some eggplant parmesan and a skillet of sauteed summer squash and tomatoes to go with them.

First challenge, removing the stamens. Not easy without damaging the petals. After ripping the first few I went and found some nail scissors and used them to reach down in the blossom and clip them off. I imagine it's a little easier to get to them when they are first picked, it would be super cool if the farmer would just de-stamen at harvest. I'd pay extra for that as this was not fun.  I stuffed them with a mixture of ricotta and asiago cheese seasoned with fresh basil, lemon zest and a few other things.

Aren't they pretty? This is stuffed waiting to be battered and fried. The batter called for 1 cup flour and 1 cup seltzer water. I had bought some seltzer water but somehow it disappeared between the store and home. I'm sure I'll find it in the back of some cupboard in a few days. I used ginger ale because that's all I had that was carbonated. I figured it'd do. I didn't notice any off taste so I guess it was ok.

Fried Flowers
1 bunch male squash blossoms (10-12)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated asiago or parm
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
handful fresh basil chopped fine
salt/pepper to taste

for the batter
1 cup flour
tsp salt
1 cup carbonated water, beer or ginger ale!

oil for frying

Remove the stamens and outer pointed parts of stem on squash blossoms. Rinse gently to remove any debris. Allow to dry on paper towels.

Mix up cheese mixture and put it into a plastic bag, cut off a corner for easier filling.
Fill up the centers and twist the tops of the flowers.

Heat oil for frying - about 1 inch thick in a deep skillet or in your fryer if you have one.

Mix up batter, dip and fry until lightly colored on both sides (it goes quick)  in batches until all are done. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little kosher salt and serve with lemon wedges. They were pretty good but not sure worth all that effort. I could have just as easily put that same cheese mixture into some peppers and broiled them and would have been just as good. While I was googling for these I saw some squash blossom enchiladas and quesadillas that sounded good. Maybe I'll try them again someday.

Here's how the plate looked. The eggplant was actually not bad. I followed a cooksillustrated.com recipe. Sauteed zucchini and yellow squash with tomatos is a no brainer.  Decent veggie dinner.

Spicy Garlicky Greens

It's been a long hot summer and the last few weeks have been a bit crazy with school starting again and a huge project at work taking up much of my time. I've been cooking here and there but nothing really remarkable. I had missed a couple of weeks of my CSA and finally renewed this week. Today I went to pick up my box even though we are leaving tomorrow for a weekend vacation.

Oh my! Bok Choy is back!! And arugula. Details of what's in the box here. I have come to really love bok choy and we haven't had fresh greens in awhile due to it being 100+ most of the last month. My daughter has become the resident family spaghetti cook and wanted to make that for dinner, it's become our Wed ritual. Usually I have the stuff on hand and she starts dinner after school and it's ready when I get home from the market. Tonight she was at the market with me. We decided to just get the ingredients there rather than stop at the grocery on the way home.

In our box we had onions and some tomatos and fresh basil so that was covered. We needed pasta and sauce and meat. Picked up some grass fed ground beef from Richardson Farms stand and then headed over to Mandola's Italian Market for pasta, sauce and fresh mozzarella. Brooke decided she wanted caprese salad but mini instead of in layers like I usually do it. We considered putting them on skewers but discovered we were fresh out of sticks when we got home. A bowl works just as well.

So I looked at all this bounty from the market and stressed a little about how to use up the stuff that would go bad before we got back on Tuesday. Then I thought, lets just use as much as we can tonight and decided to serve the greens as a side to the spaghetti and caprese. Good idea!! Google brought me a basic recipe by Jamie Oliver and I made a few tweaks to fit what I had on hand and our tastes. A little crushed red pepper is a must as we like our greens with a little kick. I had no fresh oregano so I subbed in some dried. I also added in the arugula from our box and a few garlic scapes or scallions, I'm not really sure which they were. I just chopped and dropped. Turned out delish and eating greens always makes me feel a little healthier :)

Spicy Garlicky Greens
- adapted from Jamie Oliver

A large glug of olive oil, 4-5 tbsp
1 tbsp butter
3-4 cloves garlic chopped fine
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (a couple of shakes for me)
2-3 chopped scallions or garlic scapes (optional)
1 sm red onion chopped fine
1 large bok choy
2 big handfulls arugula
large handful fresh basil
dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter into the olive oil and add the garlic, scapes/scallions and onion. After 2-3 minutes when the onions are getting softened add in the crushed red pepper. Add in half the basil chopped. While these are working chop the bok choy, dice the stems and cut the leaves into ribbons. Stem and chop the arugula. Add the bok choy stems and allow them to cook down a bit. Add the leaves and arugula and stir well to coat in the oil/juices. Continue to saute about 5-7 minutes until the greens are as soft as you like them. Add the rest of the basil, some oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

It would have been even better with a little parmesan or romano cheese grated in but I actually forgot that at the market (cardinal sin, I know!!) Dinner was served.

Eat some greens! It'll make you feel better.

Cube steaks can make a good burger!

I picked up some cube steaks at the market last week as my hubby likes them as an alternative to a standard burger. I've never been fond as they always seemed too tough. I finally got smart and looked up a few recipes online and thought about the process a bit. All the recipes I found stated they needed to be poached to keep them tender. So I thought hmmm, I bet they'd be great poached in Beer! Beer is tenderizing right? And I had a bottle of Rio Blanco Pale Ale on hand to do the job and a few red onions lingering from the CSA. Red onions make most things better.

Here's my take on it. They turned out excellent!

Cube Steak Burgers poached in onions & beer

4 cube steaks
1 large or two small red onions
1 bottle beer
4 slices provolone cheese
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Add a little olive oil to a large skillet and get it heated on med-high.
Season the cube steaks with salt and pepper, add to the pan and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate for a bit.
Use 1/2 the beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the good little brown bits
Add the onions, thinly sliced to the pan and saute a few minutes until they start to soften.
Add some more beer so that the pan has a good 1/2 inch or so in it. If you have some left, drink it!
Add a few shakes of Worcestershire and put the cube steaks back in the pan, covering them with onions.
Cover and lower heat to med-low and allow to poach/steam for 12-15 minutes.
Uncover and add a slice of provolone to each steak so that there are some onions smothered under the cheese. Recover and allow to cook a few more minutes until the cheese is nice and melty.

Serve on buns with your favorite fixings. I used mayo and dijon and some extra onions from the pan. Add beans and chips and you've got an easy meal.

Creative Curry

 This week I had one of those throw it together and hope it works nights. I had some butternut squash to use up from my csa and was looking for a way to make it a main dish. The freezer was low on meat and the bank account low on funds to replenish. I went to my trusty Mark Bittman and found a recipe for Winter Squash Curry. This is based on his but with some extras thrown in to a. use them up and b. make it a full meal without everyone missing the meat.

Squash curry with okra and paneer

2 butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into bite size chunks
4-5 ounces paneer (indian cheese) cubed
2 red onions sliced
1-2 cups okra tops removed and quartered lengthwise
1 recipe make your own coconut milk (from Mark Bittman) or a can if thats what you have
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp fresh ginger grated

In a large skillet melt a tablespoon of butter along with a few glugs of olive oil. Fry the okra in this mixture until crispy on the edges and well cooked, about 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from pan and keep aside for later.

Wipe out the pan, removing all the excess okra seeds. Add more oil and another tablespoon of butter and allow it to melt again. Add the onions and watch the heat, you want the onions to soften but not to get too brown.

While the onions are cooking, melt another tablespoon or two in a separate skillet and pan fry the paneer cubes until toasty on all sides. Set aside.

Once the onions are nice and soft add the curry, ginger and garam masala and stir, cooking a few more minutes. Add the squash and coconut milk. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or so until the squash is almost done. You want it soft but not falling apart. Add the paneer and okra. Cook a few more minutes to get everything coated in sauce and then serve over rice. I kept the hot out for the kids sake but served some hot mango chutney on the side for the adults.

If you don't have okra, leave it out- you won't miss it. Add something else green, green beans perhaps?

Yellow jasmine rice

To make some leftover rice better I sauteed a finely minced onion in some butter, added turmeric and fresh ginger and a little chicken broth. Added some cold leftover jasmine rice and stirred well until all was evenly colored and heated through.


Enjoy

Soul soothing squash pasta

I love a good bowl of pasta. It just soothes my soul like no other food group can. Once you know the basics you can create so many awesome flavors using what is on hand. Sometimes a substitution ends up making the dish better than the last time!

I was craving some pasta tonight and needing to use an acorn squash I had on hand. My usual go to when I  need a pasta fix and don't want to fuss much is carbonara. I use a version based on the one from Rachael Ray and it is delicious. Usually I don't mess with it. Tonight I decided to get creative.

It starts with a bit of olive oil and some bacon cut into small pieces. I use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon as I find it's quicker and less messy than trying to chop it. To the cooking bacon I throw in chopped onion and a dash of red pepper flakes.  Usually once that cooks down I add white wine as the base for the sause, using it to wisk up all the browned bits in the skillet from the bacon. I looked in my fridge tonight - No wine to be found! So instead of subbing in chicken broth which is the norm- I thought, bacon, squash, hmmm apple juice!!

Sloshed it in and wisked it up and then added the squash and some egg yolks, lots of parm and pepper and DONE!

Wow. I love it. The apple lends just a touch of sweetness and melds with the squash just perfectly. I could eat the whole pan but I guess I should feed the rest of the family.


Soul Soothing Squash Pasta


1/2 lb your favorite pasta. I use Barilla Plus multi-grain Penne
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil (2 turns of the pan)
1/2 package center cut bacon chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ( I don't measure- this is a guesstimate, two shakes is what it was for me)
1/2  c apple juice (again- just a glug or two, enough to be able to scrape the pan and create a light sauce)
1 acorn squash
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Start the pasta in boiling water according to package directions. You're going to need a ladle full of pasta water so remember to pull that out before you drain it.

Poke a few holes in the squash with a sharp knife and microwave whole for 5 minutes on high

In a large skillet, add the olive oil and the chopped bacon. Stir to break up the bacon into pieces. Allow the bacon to cook for a few minutes and then add the onion and red pepper flakes. Allow this to cook on medium until the bacon is just starting to crisp in spots. You don't want it all totally crispy

Add the apple juice and wisk up all the nice browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat just a tad and allow this to cook and reduce a bit more.

Remove the squash from the microwave, allow it to cool a tad and then cut it in half and remove the seeds. Use a knife to score the flesh like you would a mango, 3 to four cuts lengthwise and then also widthwise. Scoop the flesh out with a big spoon and it'll come out nicely in small chunks. Add it to the bacon/onion in the pan and stir. If needed add another splash of juice or some pasta cooking water if the sauce needs more volume.

By now your pasta should be done. Separate out the three egg yolks into a bowl and add a ladle full of hot pasta water to the eggs.  Drain the pasta and add to the pan followed by the egg mixture. Turn off the heat and toss it all together. Add the cheese, lots of fresh ground black pepper and a bit of salt to your taste.

Serve topped with more cheese. Enjoy!

Eggplant Lasagna

Tonight we had three eggplants to use and so we decided to make a lasagna with eggplant slices in place of the noodles. It's chock full of veggies with a nice meaty sauce and the traditional ricotta cheese layer, yumm!

2 large or 3 small eggplants, cut into thin slices lengthwise
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
8-10 mushrooms sliced thin
EVOO
1 lb ground beef

1 jar your favorite marinara sauce

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

dried oregano, basil and pizza seasoning blend to taste

8 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz cottage cheese

handful of shredded parmesan

1 egg

additional dried spices

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350

Slice the eggplants thin (1/4 inch or less) and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt/pepper. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

To a large skillet add olive oil about three turns around the pan and heat on medium. Add chopped garlic, onions, green pepper and mushrooms. Stir to coat in the oil and cook until starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Push all the veggies to one side of the pan and to the other side add ground beef, cook until no longer pink using a wooden spoon to break it up as much as possible.  When the beef is close to done stir the veggies into it to finish cooking. Drain if you need too at this point. Add the jarred sauce and fire roasted diced tomatoes and allow to simmer. Season with dried spices tasting as you go. Turn off the heat and finish prepping your assembly line. 

Mix the ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan and the egg in a bowl. Add some oregano and basil and black pepper to the cheese mixture. 

Assemble the lasagna: in a rectangular baking dish layer sauce, eggplant slices, cheese, more sauce, eggplant, cheese and then the remaining sauce. Top with mozzarella to cover and a sprinkling of more parmesan if you like. 

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until bubbly and the cheese has formed a nice browned crust. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting for easier slicing. It's a one dish meal for us, we just had some garlic toasts on the side as we were too tired to chop salad! 

Cocktail Friday

Today was the hubby's last day at work. He's on to a new adventure! To celebrate we decided to pick up the fixings for Mexican Martini's. The recipe I googled is supposed to mimic the famed drink from Trudy's in Austin. It called for contrieu but we opted to stay in the Patron family and instead picked up some Citonage. We're happy with the results.

Patron Mexican Martini
2 oz Patron Tequila
1 oz Patron Citronage
2 oz orange juice
2-3 oz sprite
Juice of 1/2 of lime

Mix and enjoy! Garnish with olives, jalepeno stuffed if you dare!

Cambodian Curry

I've discovered a new treasure in Colorado and online. It's called Savory Spice Shop. They have a new locations around Colorado and have started some franchising- if I had cash I would totally want to open one here in Austin. But alas that's bot looking too promising so lucky for me they ship! On a recent trip to Denver I got a chance to visit their Boulder location. Loved it. Could have spent hours in there but I wasn't afforded the time:(
But I didn't come away empty handed. We've been on a curry kick lately and so I picked up several of their cuurry blends- a mild thai yellow, a green curry, tikka masala and cambodian lemongrass curry. Also got some curry leaves, cardamom, new mexico green chili powder, greek seasoning and some fennel pollen. Yeah, I know kid in a candy store!

Last week used the greek seasoning on chicken, yum.

Tonight was curry night! I let my 15 year old smell them all and she wanted to try the cambodian lemongrass curry- great choice!

Pan Fried Curry Tilapia

4 Tilapia loins
2 eggs
Splash of milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp cambodian lemongrass curry powder
2-3 tbsp butter
Salt/ pepper
1 lemon

Mix the curry powder, zest of lemon and salt/pepper into flour on a shallow plate.
In another shallow plate mix egg/milk and season with salt/pepper. Melt butter in skillet. Dredge fish first in egg wash and then in flour to coat. Fry in butter 3-5 minutes on each side until cooked though. Squeeze lemon on each piece before serving.

Cambodian Lemongrass Curry Veggies (adapted from recipe provided by Savory Spice Shop)

1 large sweet onion halved and sliced
2 yellow potatos quartered lengthwise and then sliced
4-5 Carrots sliced
Other veggies of your choice- i used two kohlorabi and 2 fennel bulbs from our CSA
Olive oil
Water
1 c coconut milk
Curry paste - mix powder with equal parts water and olive oil. I did 3 tbsp each but adjust for the qty of veggies you're using.

Heat olive oil in large pan. Add onions, saute a few minutes and then add carrots and potatoes. Saute over medium heat 5-7 minutes until potatoes are almost tender, add in any other veggies and some water 1/2 to 3/4 cup tops, just to keep the potatoes from sticking and help to steam everything. Cover and cook a few more minutes on lower heat while you work on the fish or your protien of choice.

When veggies are tender, add in the curry paste and coconut milk. Stir well to coat everything. Serve over rice.

Enjoy! Get some of these spices, prices are reasonable and quality is so good.

Two great side dishes

Today was a day off work so I had some extra time to cook. We had some frozen chicken cordon bleu (not everything has to be scratch, right?) and so I focused on sides.

First a great dish from Mark Bittman's How to cook Everything, slow cooked green beans. Sounded interesting as I usually just steam or saute green beans with a little bacon/onion. It takes an hour so make sure you have some time. The results are worth it!

On to the potatoes! I did some googling for something with new potatoes and leeks. Found several interesting recipes and decided to combine a few and make something new. The result was a delish dish- dijon potatoes and leeks.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Green Beans
(get the book or the iphone app- or both like me, you won't regret it!!)

1-1.5 lb fresh green beans trimmed
1 sweet onion chopped
2-3 small tomatos seeded and chopped
1/4 c olive oil
3/4 c vegetable broth (or water)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper

In a medium pot heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion. While the onion is softening chop the tomatoes and add to the pot. Trim the greenbeans and add them along with the broth or water. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil,cover, lower heat to medium low and simmer for an hour. Check and stir every 15 minutes. You want most of the liquid to be obsorbed but don't allow it to completely dry out. Add additional broth or water as needed. Mine were delish after one hour, Mr. Bittman says an extra hour won't hurt them:) Add a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of lemon juice to each serving. So incredible.

Dijon Leeks and New Potatoes

1 lb new potatoes scrubbed and quartered
2 large leeks chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 c vegetable broth
1/2 c white wine
2-3 tbsp dijon mustard

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet, saute leeks 5-7 minutes until soft. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in same skillet and add chopped new potatoes. Saute for a few minutes, stirring to coat with the butter. Add wine, broth and dijon mustard. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until most liquid is absorbed and potatoes are tender. Add reserved leeks, season with salt and pepper. Cook a few more minutes to allow the sauce to coat leeks. Wow- these were the hubbys fave.

CSA bounty

GeoTagged, [N30.58021, E97.85357]

I've come to love Wednesday because it is the day each week that I pick up my share from Johnson's Backyard Garden at the Austin Farmer's Market at the Triangle. I joined the CSA in February and have been very happy. Today was the best box ever! Don't get me wrong, winter veggies were delicious and I had fun trying new things, but Fresh Green Beans!! And tomatoes and oh the wonder that is huge bundles of basil!!

As you can see we got this week leeks, cucumbers, new potaoes, green beans, broccoli, garlic, red and white onions, zuccini, yellow squash, tomatoes, collards, beets and basil! Not bad for $30 a week. Heck that much basil at the HEB would be $12 alone. And it's organic and local, I am a convert. Now into menu planning- the fun part for me; digging through cookbooks and figuring out how to use it all before next week. I can already see caprese salad in my future.....

My Basic Stir Fry

I feel kinda silly posting this, everyone already knows how to stir fry, right? But there was a time when I had to look it up so maybe somebody will find it useful. It's so easy to make a delicious light sauce that I haven't bought the mix packets from the store in quite some time.

This is a great way to use up whatever veggies you have on hand. You can always throw in chunks of beef, chicken or pork if you want it meaty. Shrimp would be good too.

Too tired to think basic stir fry

2 tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
2-3 diced scallions
3-4 cups chopped veggies- I like onions carrots, broccoli, kohlorabi. Cut to bite sized pieces, keeping them similar size for even cooking.
1/4 to 1/2 cup water or broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)


Get a large skillet really hot. You'll want to have all your veggies cut before you start as it goes quick.
Add the oil, when it shimmers add the garlic, ginger and scallions (throw in some crushed red pepper here if you want some heat) stir fry for about 30 seconds until coated with oil and fragrant.
Add your chopped veggies and the water or broth. Continue to stir until the veggies are crisp tender, about 10 minutes or so. If it gets too dry add a bit more liquid, you need just enough to make a light sauce.

Make a slurry of about 2-3 tbsp water, spoonful of cornstarch and a spoonful of sugar-stir until dissolved.(i don't measure, this is literally an eating spoon worth)

When done to your preference add in the soy sauce and then the cornstarch/sugar water mixture. Stir until thickened, remove from heat and add the sesame oil. Serve over steamed rice.

Horchata

I've been wanting to try my hand at making homemade horchata after having it at my local Mexican resturant. It's a really refreshing contrast to super hot salsa. It seems remarkably simple. I found a recipe from Rick Bayless and got it started today. It has to sit in the fridge overnight. Looking forward to bean burritos tomorrow!

Horchata Almendaro -
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
3 inch cinnamon stick
2 1/2 cups hot tap water

Pour all into a large container with a lid. Let cool and refridgerate overnight.

The next day add 1 cup sugar or agave syrup, blend in blender as fine as possible. Strain into a pitcher, discarding solids. Add 2 more cups cold water or 2 cups milk if you want it creamier and sugar if needed to taste. Enjoy!

An unusual combination

Tonight's dinner was a simple one but big on flavor. We're in the middle of two weeks of cutting out chicken, pork and beef just to see if we can and to do a little internal 'spring cleaning'. I'm not usually too keen on fish but have been trying to make it more lately just for the health benefits. Saturday at the Cedar Park farmers market I picked up a container of Macadamia Nut Pesto from Kalas Kuisine. The lady who sold it recommended using it on salmon but I only had tilapia so used it on that. It is very rich but was delicious.

Simple Fish with Macadamia Nut Pesto- get it from Kala's if you're in Austin or make your own

4 fish filets (I used Tilapia, but use whatever fish you like or have on hand)

4 oz pesto

salt and pepper

lemon wedges

Heat oven to 400. Coat a baking dish with small amount of olive oil. Lay in the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and slather the pesto on each filet. Bake while you're working on your veggies until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Mine took 15-20 minutes. When you pull it from the oven douse with a sprinkle of lemon juice and serve wedges with each portion so each person can add more lemon to their own taste.

I had purchased some beautiful bok choy at the Austin Farmers Market on Wednesday and had a fennel bulb that came in my CSA box this week so I went on the hunt to find something to make on the side. I decided on this Asian inspired combination from one of my many cookbooks. I substituted Apricot Jalepeno Jam from Blanco Valley Farms for a bit of Texas heat.

Sauteed Fennel and Asian Greens with Ginger and Apricot

adapted from Clean Food by Terry Walters

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 TBSP Ginger Paste (or fresh ginger if you have it)

1 small Fennel Bulb, cored and sliced

3 large Bok Choy- chopped

3 TBSP Apricot Jam (or Apricot Jalepeno!)

1 TBSP soy sauce

Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or dutch oven. Add ginger and saute 1 minute. Add Fennel and the stems from the bok choy and saute until tender about 5-7 minutes over med heat. Add the jam and soy sauce, stir well and then add the chopped leaves of the bok choy. Continue to stir until the leaves are bright green and wilted, about 10 minutes or so. Taste and add salt or more soy sauce to your taste.

I served the last few slices of some poblano sourdough from Sweetish Hill Bakery on the side just to use it up. Both dishes were very good but if I had a chance to do it again I don't think I'd serve them together. The fish was very rich and I think would have been better served with just a simple salad or some steamed asparagus. The bok choy could have made a meal on it's own with just some steamed brown rice.