Tsoi Tsim

One of many "mystery" greens I've discovered lately, Tsoi Tsim is apparently a Vietnamese name for this Asian green. I can't find any information about it, nor does the farmer know anything other than the very basics. Tsoi Tsim is only about six inches tall, stems and all, and the small, oval leaves are tender and sweet. The texture of the leaves reminds me slightly of arugula or baby spinach, the main difference being that Tsoi Tsim produces much better results when exposed to heat; when either blanched, sauteed, or steamed, it maintains its beautiful, bright green color and hardly wilts at all in comparison to other similar greens. The stems also are very tender and completely edible. I chopped off only about two inches from the bottom before wahing the greens thoroughly and then coarsely chopping the rest.

My first attempt with Tsoi Tsim was a stir-fry. Quickly sauteed like this they were the perfect addition to the mushrooms, tofu, and other Asian-inspired ingredients that made their way into my pan. My curiosity still not sated, I hunted down another bunch at the market the following week. Whether it's because I know it's an Asian green or because it truly does lend itself well to that cuisine I'll never know, but the Asian meal that I made this time was a simple soup, my take on pho, I suppose. After bringing some homemade chicken stock to a boil, I added some frozen gyoza, a few shrimp and the washed and chopped Tsoi Tsim. While the soup simmered for a few minutes, I flavored it with oyster sauce and nam pla. We of course self-applied hot sauce at the table. The soup was amazingly delicious, especially considering that the whole thing took about ten minutes. The greens floated delicately on top and their flavor and texture was subtle but distinct. Tsoi Tsim is a sweet, tender, and undoubtedly very healthy green that is not slimy, bitter, or fibrous in any way. I would whole-heartedly recommend adding to your repetoire, should you be so lucky to come across it!

Celery-Potato Salad

Wow. It's been a rough month. An awful illness knocked out our household for a few weeks, then BAM! We were shocked out of the cold drizzle by this crazy-intense heat wave that rocked the west coast. Saturday was way too hot for Seattle in May. But no matter, I was more than happy to be at the market, outside, soaking it all up. My heat therapy, I call it. The summer weather also got me in the mood for gardening, so while at the market I bought four different varieties of tomato starts for the garden, plus two kinds of basil and a purple-leafed plant called chiso (apparently with an allspice/clove flavor that goes well in salads--who knew?).

As far as local produce goes, it's kind of a weird time right now in the Pacific Northwest. The summer plants are still too young to be producing, and we're all sick of the winter staples. The only thing that really called out to me was the beautiful young stalks of celery. They called them "celeriac", but that was most certainly a misnomer. Celeriac is the root of the celery plant, and these were quite obviously the tops of the young celery plant. In fact, they were mostly leaves with a few young, tender stems tying them all together. So don't ask why, but after my celery purchase I somehow jumped to potato salad! Yes, to go with the grilled ribs and mint juleps! What better way to eat our way through a 90 degree day? So I found some beautiful red potatoes (which also had a purplish-hued flesh) and turned everything into a potato salad. I even made my own mayonnaise from scratch for the very first time. I've always been afraid of it (is there really that much oil in it?), but Julia coached me through. It was extremely easy, with the aid of my Cuisinart, and oh so worth it. The olive oil that I used was the star, and it complimented the subtle potatoes and crunchy celery perfectly. A satisfying end to a beautiful day.

Cabbage Tops

While hardly a catchy or romantic name, "cabbage tops" seems to be the best descriptor of this leafy green vegetable that I can find. "Cabbage tops" is what the farmer was marketing them as, but I have since also seen them referred to as "cabbage rapini". The problem is that I can't find any reference to any form of this usage of the cabbage plant. Rapini is usually associated with broccoli, and broccoli raab/rabe/rapini are known for having tall, slender stalks with dark leaves and scattered clusters of tiny buds or flowers. The entire plant--stems, leaves, and flowers--can be eaten. My "cabbage tops" looked very similar to broccoli rapini. It turns out that cabbage and broccoli are both members of the Brassica oleracea family, so the similarity would make sense. I am still confused, however, about whether these "cabbage tops" are really tops of a cabbage plant or a separate thing altogether, as the broccoli rapini plant is. I guess I have something to talk to the farmer about next week!

Just like broccoli rapini, the farmer told me to eat every part of the plant, stems, flowers, and all. The particular bunch I bought was from a red cabbage variety, thus their beautiful dark purple hue. After washing them thoroughly, I trimmed the stems and chopped up the whole bunch to put into an Asian noodle dish, along with some red bell peppers and mushrooms. The flavor of the cabbage tops was obscured somewhat by the intensity of the soy sauce and other sauce ingredients, but I could detect a slight bitterness that helped to add depth to the noodles. The texture also was very appealing, with the crispness of the stems contrasting nicely with the leafy greens. Turns out that the mysterious "cabbage tops" are worth looking into!

Cabbage-Top Noodles

In a small bowl, combine together 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. lime juice, 2 Tbsp. nam pla, 1 clove minced garlic, and as many minced thai chilies as you can handle (we recommend 4)!

Cook your choice of Asian noodles according to package directions (I used Marco Polo Chinese Style Noodles, a wheat noodle variety).

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil. When hot, add 1 bunch of green onions, white parts only (finely chop some of the green tops for garnish). Saute until soft and beginning to brown, then add 2 thinly sliced portabella tops (or other mushrooms of your choosing). Once mushrooms begin to brown and have lost most of their moisture, add chopped cabbage tops and one thinly sliced red bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup rice wine to the pan, then quickly cover with a lid. Allow to steam for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked thoroughly.

Toss cooked noodles together with the sauce and the vegetables. Garnish with green onions.