The Dane County Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Local Foods, Global Flavors

Posted on June 06, 2023 | General News

Sneak Peek Recipe from the DCFM Cookbook … and a Call for Volunteers

This week, to whet your appetite for the forthcoming Dane County Farmers’ Market Cookbook, we’re sharing a recipe from the book. Its contributor is DCFM customer and filmmaker Holly De Ruyter, whose documentary, Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club, helped inspire a resurgence of interest in this cherished institution. Holly says that Wisconsinites love both farmers markets and supper clubs because “they know the food is better there, and because these places are part of who we are.” With juicy, crunchy bok choy coming into season, it’s the perfect time to make Holly’s Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce.

It’s also the perfect time to volunteer. The cookbook committee needs your help to get the book into the hands of market-lovers everywhere. Interested in joining the team? Please contact Bill Lubing at cookbook@dcfm.org. Thank you!

We hope to see you at the Book Launch on Saturday, July 8 from 7 am to noon at Breese Stevens Field, 917 E. Mifflin Street, where the DCFM will be held that day. Author Terese Allen will be signing cookbooks from 9 am to 12 noon. You can pre-order books for pick-up at the launch, or from Little Creek Press for shipment (links below). Beginning July 15 books will also be sold at the DCFM on Saturdays on the Capitol Square (Next to the Savory Accents booth, on S. Carroll St.) and at the Wednesday Market on MLK Jr. Blvd, as well as at bookstores and other retail outlets.

To preorder for delivery, please visit this page.

To preorder for pickup, please visit this page.

Holly’s Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce

“Vegetable sides are often overlooked and can sometimes be bland. This is great with grilled meats, “ says recipe contributor Holly De Ruyter. “But beware! It will steal the show from the main dish.”

Salt

1 1/2 pounds bok choy

2 tablespoons bottled oyster sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon

Shaoxing wine or dry white wine

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon avocado or canola oil

3 to 4 tablespoons minced garlic

Bring 3 or so quarts of water and about a tablespoon of salt to boil. Meanwhile, rinse bok choy well. For small heads, trim off the bottom edge without cutting through the stems, then slice the heads in half lengthwise. For larger boy choy, cut off the bottom inch or so of the head and then thickly slice or chop the stalks and leaves.

Make the sauce: Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, honey or maple syrup, pepper, sesame oil, chicken stock and cornstarch in a bowl, stirring well to combine. When the water boils, add the bok choy and blanch until leaves are bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and spread out on a cloth towel to dry while you finish the dish.

To finish the dish: Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over a medium-high flame for a minute or so. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 20 to 30 seconds, then add the sauce. Simmer, stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Arrange the bok choy on a platter. Spoon sauce over bok choy and serve up.