June 22, 2010

Steak and Bok Choy



So I mentioned that we've had a bumper crop of bok choy out in the garden and I thought I'd pass on a recipe that we love to eat, either winter or summer, whenever we get our hands on a good looking bunch.

The first time I made this, we were living in Dublin and I was on a Jamie Oliver kick. I must have seen him on TV, although I can't remember that part, perhaps I just stumbled on his books in one of the four bookstores (oh heaven!) that were within walking distance of our flat. In any case, I loved reading his books. He was so cheerful, and unstuffy. And, unlike the cookbooks I'd brought from the US, the ingredients in the book were almost always easily found in both the larger chains (and by large, I mean small, because even the "big" stores were tiny compared with their US counterparts) and in the teeny corner shop grocery stores in our neighborhood. They were also nice and hearty, which helped us get over the fact that it never got above 65 degrees the entire time we lived there. (Actually, given that it has been in the high nineties here for days, that sounds pretty darn lovely!)

Of the recipes, this was our favorite. Briton, Will and I all love it - since it's not beige, it's not Evelyn's thing - and, to be honest, it's totally the reason I grew bok choy in the garden in the first place. The only change I make is to replace a whole chili - I hate cutting chili's - with a 1/4 tsp of sweet chili sauce. It give it a little kick without being too spicy for Briton. Ok, for me. I'm a whimp. Oh, and we use Strip Steak, not Sirloin, because we like it better.

Steak with Bok Choy and Ginger
adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef

2 thickish New York Strip Steaks
salt and pepper
large bunch of bok choy
8 T soy sauce
1 small garlic clove
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1/4 tsp sweet chili sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 T olive oil


Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Grill until they are as done as you like (we prefer medium) and bring them inside. While they are grilling, set a pot of salted water on the stove to boil and pop in the bok choy when it's bubbling. In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients (I like to grate both the garlic and the ginger with a microplane). Pour this sauce over the meat as soon as it comes off the grill and let it sit on the meat for a few minutes. When the bok choy is tender, drain and divide evenly between the plates. Slice up the meat and set on top of the greens, drizzle with the sauce.