Ground Pork with Asian Veggies

FRESH PRODUCE TIPS:

  Napa cabbage is a softer, easier-to-digest type of cabbage that is rich in fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. It doesn’t require a long time to cook and is delicious when kept slightly crunchy in these types of dishes. As an easy-to-find, cheap spring vegetable it adds quite a lot of volume and nutrition to meals. When storing Napa cabbage in the fridge, leave as many of the outer leaves on as you can so that when you pull it out, you can peel off the softened outer ones to find a nice fresh core inside. 

  Hakurei turnips are delicious fresh or cooked. The tops can be sautéed and eaten in this dish as well, but if you’re planning to store them for a couple days in the fridge, you’ll want to remove the tops early so that the roots stay firm. In the garden, hakurei grow quickly alongside radishes and early spring greens, planting a handful of seeds every two weeks from May to early June is a good way to extend the harvest. 

Adjust to your diet

Recipes like this are easy to adjust to fit anyone’s dietary needs; substitute the pork for a different ground meat, shrimp, tofu, or leave it out entirely. Early spring can be a challenging time to eat locally for folks who have a hard time digesting dark leafy greens, so Napa cabbage and bok choy can be a gentler option. The ginger and fresh herbs help aid in proper digestion as well, so play around with the amounts of these ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork (or beef, or tofu)

• 1 head bok choy

• 1 small head Napa cabbage

• 2 carrots

• 5 medium hakurei salad turnips

• 3 garlic scapes

• 1 onion

• 1 inch piece fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp. honey

• 2 tbsp. vinegar (rice, apple or white)

• 1/2 c. beef broth

• 1 tbsp. corn starch

• 2 tbsp. water

• optional; cilantro or parsley

• Preparation

1. Cut the bok choy in half lengthwise from top to bottom. then flip both half’s on their flat side and cut in half again so you have four long quarters. Then place them side by side and cut horizontally in 1 inch sections. This is the simplest way to cut bok choy into manageable pieces. You can toss the bottom core, cut it into smaller pieces so that it cooks evenly with the rest. We also like to separate out the crunchy base from the green leafy top a little bit so that we can make sure they have even cook time.

2. Cut the napa cabbage in the same manner as the bok choy, though cut the pieces slightly smaller, more like 1/2 inch slices. We set these pieces in the same bowl as the bok choy green tops. 

3. Cut the hakurei into bite sized wedges.

4. Grate the carrot.

5. Mince the garlic scapes, onion, and ginger.

6. In a large pan, heat some cooking oil and add in half of the garlic, onion and ginger. Cook until fragrant and then add the ground meat, cook all the way through. 

7. Add in the hakurei, carrot, and the crunchy part of the bok choy. Toss to combine and add the remaining garlic, onion and ginger.

8. Mix together the honey and vinegar in one small dish and the starch and water in another dish. Set aside

9. Add the Napa cabbage and bok choy tops, cook until they just start to wilt. 

10. Pour in the beef broth, turn the heat up to high so that the broth boils and reduces. After a few minutes, add the vinegar and honey, stir to incorporate and then add the corn starch slurry. You should see the liquid in the pan start to thicken. 

11. Once everything is coated in the pan, turn off the heat. 

12. Serve alone, over rice, or in a sandwich roll with fresh cilantro or parsley.