Steamed bok choy with broiled salmon and okra with Indian spices

As I mentioned in my last post, receiving my weekly "mystery box" from Homegrown Food Co-op is stretching me as a cook. I got a head of bok choy in my first box this week. I've NEVER cooked bok choy in my life. What the heck am I going to do with bok choy? Thankfully, Chef Emeril Lagasse knows.

Chef Emeril's steamed bok choy with broiled salmon is not a recipe old Aaron would have tackled. It looks like just too much trouble on the surface. But one you look at the recipe, think about it and organize your thoughts, it's only three simple steps: 1. make a roast tomato and lemon vinaigrette, 2. steam some bok choy, and 3. broil some salmon.

Making the vinaigrette turned out to be the most challenging step for me since broiling has hitherto been a dirty word in my cooking vocabulary. To make the vinaigrette, you will need 2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes, one tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves, a quarter cup of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt, a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper and the juice from a lemon. Quickly saute these ingredients. I'm not sure my humble cookware can tolerate broiling, so I transferred my vinaigrette to my broiling pan before proceeding. Broil it between eight and ten minutes, until the tomatoes caramelize. I failed at this step - the tomatoes will be screaming bloody murder under the broiler. Just ignore them. Set this aside and let it cool (the recipe says for at least ten minutes), then toss with two tablespoons of chopped basil leaves.

The recipe calls for steaming bok choy in a Dutch oven (because they are fairly long stalks), but since I don't have a Dutch oven, I cut that corner and just boiled them for about eight minutes, with a half a teaspoon of white pepper and a half a teaspoon of salt. I did not measure the water. I just used enough so that all the bok choy would be submerged.

Broiling the salmon was the easiest step. Coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with some marjoram sprigs and stick those puppies under the broiler for about six to eight minutes. I'd never used fresh marjoram until now. It charrs when broiled, imparting a nice crunch and smoky flavor.

When done, assemble the dish from the bok choy at the bottom, then the salmon, then your vinaigarette, and BAM, as Emeril would say, you've got a simple, tasty nutritious meal.

For my side, I chose okra, another vegetable that leaves me perplexed, unless it's to bread it with corn meal and deep fry it to within an inch of its life.

Trimming the okra (cutting off the tough ends) was the most time-consuming part of this recipe.

I took three cloves of garlic and a small onion (both minced, of course) and sauteed them for about five minutes on medium heat. Don't make the mistake of turning the heat on full blast to heat up the pan. I used to do that and wonder why my sauteed garlic always tasted burned. Just wait for the pan to heat. Then add the okra and sautee for another five minutes or so. Then add the spices - I used about a quarter of a teaspoon of ground turmeric, and salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Once everything is coated, then add a quarter cup of water, cover tightly and let it simmer until the water has boiled off and the okra is tender.

I served it with some freshly steamed rice, and plain yogurt as a condiment for the okra, and it was every bit as satisfying as the most decadent comfort meal I've ever had. Judge for yourself below: