I've recently harvested a lot of komatsuna. Komatsuna is often called mustard spinach, but in reality it is in the same species as turnips. So this one tastes a lot different than many of the other Asian greens. And despite its name I find that it doesn't have a very intense mustard flavor. Though it can be eaten raw, I tend to like it cooked better. The most common way I cook it is just lightly steam it and the dress it with soy sauce and sesame seed oil.
But I had some Baby Bella mushrooms that needed to be eaten, so I decided to get a little more fancy. I sauteed the mushrooms in a little oil. Then added a chopped clove of garlic when the mushrooms were almost done. I don't like my garlic browned like is done in some recipes so I usually add it later to the dish than many do. But I do like it in the oil long enough to flavor it. Then I added the chopped komatsuna leaves and some sake and soy sauce, so the leaves could steam as they cooked. With an Asian green like bok choy I tend let the sweet flavors predominate. But with Komatsuna I like more of the umami flavors. So mushrooms make a great pairing.
And many of you may think I always cook from scratch. Well you would be wrong. I do most of the time. But sometimes I'm tired. Sometimes I don't have a lot of time to prepare. And sometimes I just want a fish stick. OK this is not really a fish stick but breaded cod. This dinner is courtesy of Trader Joe's. The cornbread was from their mix. I really ought to get a good cornbread recipe and quit buying a mix. It isn't like it is hard to make.
This is part of Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard hosted by Robin at The Gardener of Eden.
Oh, thank you, great idea! I have a lot of komatsuna and will use this one tonight!
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of Komatsuna - I will have to seek it out.
ReplyDeleteIt looks delicious, but I'm just going to stick with my boring kales. Trader Joes makes fast food feel slightly less sinful, huh? I would like to figure out how to make the broth that is in their Cioppino. Yummy stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'd be glad to share my buttermilk cornbread recipe if you're interested. It's NOT sweet which is my preference for cornbread, but it could probably be sweetened.
ReplyDeleteOh I'd be looking for one that uses soy milk. I rarely if ever have real milk products in the house as I'm lactose intolerant. And I am a sweet cornbread fan.
DeleteThe Komatsuna sounds good. I think that I would like it. But I'm not sure if "The Italian" would. I'm with you on adding garlic later when cooking. It will get bitter if browned too long and give any dish a not so nice flavor.
ReplyDeleteHadn't thought of steaming greens. Have you tried them sauted?
ReplyDeleteI saute them if I put other things into them too that need to be sauteed. But I steam them otherwise.
DeleteThose are some lovely leaves! That's about how I usually fix komatsuna, except I add umeboshi vinegar instead of the sake. I didn't plant any this spring, but it will be back in fall for sure. I don't find the taste like mustard or spinach.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy! I make a good corn bread. You could easily sub the milk for soy.
ReplyDelete1 c milk
1 egg
1 c flour
3 t baking powder
1 c cornmeal
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c melted butter ( or oil)
1 t salt
combine flour nad baking powder, mix in milk and egg, stir in cornmeal and add remaining ingredients in order. Bake in well greased 8x8 pan at 425 for 20 minutes.
This makes a moist and slightly sweet cornbread. I get compliments on it all the time.
Yeah I'd probably add oil. I might try this. I'll have to start stocking cornmeal though.
DeleteI might try this. I'll have to start stocking cornmeal again. I gave up on it when I started using a mix years and years ago.
DeleteI am not a fan of mustard. But I found komatsuna does not taste like mustard very much. So I like to grow them. It is much easier to look after than other Asian greens.
ReplyDeleteDelicious! Komatsuna is a particular favourite ♥
ReplyDeleteYour greens are beautiful as always! Since I"ve been joining in on Harvest Mondays I've downloaded a garden planning spread sheet, but there is nothing on the file itself to indicate where it came from and now I can't remember. I'm thinking that it's yours, but if you didn't share one, do you know who did? I'm trying to find the blog post about it because I don't remember a couple of the instructions!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever shared a planning spreadsheet. At least not that I remember.
DeleteThanks for sharing this recipe. Dave shared seeds with us this year. We have it growing out our ears. We've been cooking it in a very similar way, but I like your embellishments. It has been a challenging green to work with. It tastes great, but there are not a large diversity of recipes out there. Belle's been freezing some of it, with hope for winter soups. We'll see how that turns out.
ReplyDeleteMy Family would agree. Every once in a while, you've just gotta have a fish stick. Best metaphor for life if I've ever heard one.
ReplyDeleteRibbit! Long time not hear. I hope you are doing OK.
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