Wok Wednesdays | Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Pancetta

WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

Wow. How does one rave about another fabulous stir-fry from this awesome book, without sounding like a broken record? It's impossible, I tell ya.

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Pancetta

Bowl 2: Garlic, ginger

Bowl 3: Bok choy

Bowl 4: Salt, sugar

Bowl 5: Chicken broth, dry sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch

Such an easy, and delicious side dish! 

The pancetta is first browned in the wok, then the aromatics are added and cooked until fragrant. The bok choy is added to the wok along with the salt and sugar, and stir-fried for a short time, then the broth mixture is swirled in and the wok is covered, and allowed to cook for about a minute, stirred, cooked for another minute, and, bam! done. 

To quote Ina Garten, how easy is that?!

And to think I almost passed on making this. I have not been a huge fan of bok choy. I like the flavor, I just find it awkward to eat; usually the stalks are left whole, sometimes, even the head is just halved. However, cut up in chunks as it is here, it is so much more pleasant to eat.

The preparation of the bok choy itself is not what changed my mind. It was the comment on the WW's Facebook page. Karen, of Karen's Kitchen Stories (if you have not visited her site, you are missing out) commented that this dish was "so good", and Grace mentioned she could not wait to read her post; Karen replied, "It's definitely a love letter for the dish!" How could one resist making it, after a comment like that?! Thank you, Karen!! So glad I did not miss out on this one.

Grace, your recipes continue to amaze me. So few ingredients, yet intense on flavor; if only all recipes could be so easy and have such an incredible outcome. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Come on. Go get the book already. You know you want it.

We have been asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 226, of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed.  

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

Minestra di Pasta e Verdure alla Romana

The title translates to Roman Soup with Pasta and Vegetables. We here at home refer to it as minestrone soup; easier to remember.

This is one of my all-time favorite soups to make for winter. Though it is only fall, beautiful pleasant afternoons have lead to cool evenings once the sun goes down,  and I could not wait. This soup always satisfys and I have been craving something healthy, after not so healthy eating this week.

I usually make this with salad macaroni rather than the elbow shaped pasta - it makes for a prettier presentation.

The recipe comes from the book The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan. His recipes are easy to prepare and so far have not disappointed.


Success meter (1-3): 3+

Wholesome goodness.

Look at all those leafy greens.

Chard, kale, butter lettuce, and cabbage.

I have always bought pancetta from the deli in the past.

I did not know I had a choice of cured or uncured.

Not sure what I have bought previously.

This is "salad macaroni" which I prefer to use in this soup,

and realized only as I was writing this that I had it in

the pantry.

The aromatics: onion, celery, carrot, rosemary, (and pancetta).

Throw your greens in after sautéing your aromatics.

Cook down..

Add broth.

Voila!

The best soup ever!

Five Star Meal

This week's puzzle night's dinner turned out to be fantabulous!

Andy made is famous barbecue chicken in which he cooked to perfection. My sister and I both went with new recipes for the sides. She thought my green bean dish was great and I thought her salad was awesome. The funny thing is that we both used recipes from Fine Cooking magazine, different issues no less. I tell ya, you cannot go wrong with a recipe from this magazine.

I only have a few pics for this post - I had no intention of blogging last night's dinner but everything looked so beautiful on the plate and it was just too good not to share.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Bitter Greens with Cherries and Pancetta

Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Niçoise Olives

We finished off our meal with the coffee

ice cream I made over the weekend.

Life is good.