Friday, December 21, 2012

Baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps, and Garlic En Papillote

We've been getting a ton of baby bok choy in our produce box lately, so I wanted to try something a bit different with it.  This recipe from Dorie Greenspan pairs this vegetable with French flavors - an unusual combination, but one that is really delicious! I love the idea of making the greens "en papillote" - sounds fancy, but it's super simple.  You just wrap everything up in foil packets and bake until tender.  This wouldn't work for many sorts of greens, but it's actually perfect with baby bok choy since the stems need some time to soften up.  Paired with snap peas (good, but definitely optional - you could easily skip or sub in another green vegetable), this makes for a great green side dish.

I served these greens alongside roasted chicken.  I mixed up some softened butter with salt, Aleppo chili flakes, smoked paprika, orange zest, and fresh thyme, and then rubbed that under the skin of the chicken and baked it according to this recipe.  I roasted the chicken over carrots, which ended up super tender from being braised in the butter and chicken fat - yum.  Those are probably the most unhealthy but also the most delicious carrots ever!


Baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps, and Garlic En Papillote (adapted from Around My French Table)
Serves 2-4

Handful of sugar snap peas
3 baby bok choy
1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
Zest of 1/2 small orange
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lay a large piece of aluminum foil over your largest rimmed baking sheet.
2. Cut each pea in half and toss into a large bowl.  Quarter each baby bok choy lengthwise, and add to the peas.  Add the sliced onions, garlic, and orange zest.  Pour over a few glugs of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss everything to combine.
3. Place the veggies on the foil and spread into an even layer, leaving about an inch of foil around the edges.  Cover with another large piece of foil, and then crimp the edges together to form a packet.
4. Bake 15 minutes, or until the bok choy is tender.

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