Return to cooler weather
Hello!
Stop by the farmstand this week, and you'll find:
Komatsuna, a.k.a. Japanese mustard spinach
Gailan
Carrots
Scallions
A choy
All of these have loved the cool spell of the last few days, and are looking vibrant and healthy in the field.
My favorite recipe for preparing komatsuna is from Nancy Singleton Hachisu's Japanese Farm Food. It is simple, elegant, and delicious, and it converted me from neutral komatsuna eater to enthusiastic evangelist:
Requires ~1 and 1/3 pounds komatsuna, 1/3 cup Dashi, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons freshly shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Blanch the komatsuna by holding the greens by their tops and first lowering the stems into the boiling water for 10 or 20 seconds, then dropping in the rest of the greens for 1 to 3 minutes
Pull the greens out and immediately submerge in a bowl of cold water as you continue to run cold water over them
Remove the greens from the cold water and squeeze out excess water, then lay them on a cutting board
Chop off the tips of the stems, then slice the remaining stems and greens into 2-inch pieces
Squeeze the greens once more and arrange them cut-side up on a plate or saucer. Add the soy sauce to the Dashi and drizzle over the komatsuna, then sprinkle with the shaved bonito flakes.
Enjoy!
Elizabeth and Steven