Yukina Savoy two ways: Avocado citrus and savoy salad with pomegranate dressing AND Steak and mash with creamed leeks and savoy

(Yukina Savoy: A tasty and versatile Asian green)

Darlings! The weekend before last La Diva received the Asian green, yukina savoy, in her farm share. I'd only just used some of it when Saturday came round again like a flash and I found another large bunch in my share yet again! So, immediate investigation was required as to how to best utilize this Asian vegetable. (Which, by the way is NOTHING like the "other" savoy vegetable, the savoy cabbage but both are in the "Brassica" plant family.)

I started, like I always do, researching on the Net and trolling through my cookbooks and foodie magazines. I found out that the vegetable is not that mysterious and is simply an easy-to-grow year round annual that thrives in many climates and is great steamed, stir fried or used raw in salads! No wonder the farmers love to grow it!

Since there was a salad suggestion, I decided to taste it raw. The savoy had a slight "bite" and bitter taste, similar in style to arugula or watercress but not quite so peppery. Therefore, I thought that it would pair well with the fresh flavors of citrus! Since I also had a perfectly ripe avocado, I decided to throw that in the mix too. Here's the recipe:

(Go on and click darlings, you can almost taste it's tart and crunchy, salad-y goodness!)

La Diva's avocado citrus and savoy salad with goat cheese, pine nuts and pomegranate dressing:

Wash a bit coarsely torn red leaf lettuce and lay attractively on two salad plates. Take a few leaves of yukina savoy, remove stems and slice leaves into large shreds, lay on the lettuce. Take a large pink grapefruit, peel and cut away the pith and skin from six sections. Now, do the same with a whole orange, leaving three sections of each fruit for two salads. Set aside. Quarter a large ripe (but firm) avocado. Take two quarters and slice each into thirds. Place one grapefruit slice, one orange and then one avocado slice side by side and repeat twice. Set aside.


Earlier in the day, La Diva was in Whole Foods and trying to decide if goat's cheese or a sheep's milk feta would make a better accompaniment to the salad when I found a product that would make the decision easier for me: crumbled goat cheese! I liked the idea of simply tossing the cheese over the salad instead of the messy process of slicing of the creamy goat cheese into sticky rounds! The product had the taste of regular goat cheese but had a drier, "crumbly" texture, perfect for salads! Simply sprinkle a bit of goat cheese on the salad and put aside.

Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, gently toast a good handful of pine nuts until light brown. Keep your eye on the nuts, they burn quickly. When brown, take off heat, put in bowl and cool; then sprinkle on the salad.

La Diva's pomegranate dressing:

1 T honey
1 T pomegranate molasses
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t white wine vinegar
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a small jar, vigorously mix honey and molasses until well blended. Then combine the rest of the ingredients and shake until well combined. Drizzle over the salad.

(Deliciously tart pomegranate molasses)

Result: Wow. I had company the night I originally served this as a starter and there were plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" around the table! It was so good, we had to have it again a few days later! The piquant taste of the goat cheese combines with the tartness of the dressing. Now, toss in the creaminess of the avocado along with the fresh bright citrus, the crunch of the pine nuts and the pepper flavor of the savoy, and it all works in a sophisticated symphony of flavor and texture! DIVINE!! Everyone RAVED about this salad, so give it a go!

Well, darlings, as you can imagine, DJ Nevah L8 LOVES his steak! So, for the main course, La Diva purchased two lovely rib eyes that I was going to serve simply grilled with a buttery horseradish and green onion mashed potato. While searching the Web for recipe ideas for the yukina, one of the first links that popped up was "Creamed Leeks & Yukina Savoy - the perfect steakhouse side dish." Bullseye! As I think that "creamed" anything is lovely and dee-lish, La Diva HAD to check it out. It sounded great already! When I clicked on the link, I saw the photo below and La Diva was sold!

The blog site is written by a couple in Minneapolis that created a wonderful side dish for steak inspired by the Harmony Valley Farm newsletter. Please click here for the recipe! It's simple, quick and very effective as a steak side!

(Creamed leeks and yukina savoy....mmmmmm...perfect with steak!)

Result: Gorgeously satisfying! I was very pleased and my sidekick DJ Nevah L8 was in lip-smackin', carnivore heaven! The leeks and savoy meld as a savory, delightfully flavorful accompianment that pairs wonderfully with the meat and creamy mash. A unique and out of the ordinary way to serve up greens, the parmigiano cheese adds just the right amount of salt and zing! Two completely different uses of the same vegetable in the same meal: one creamy and scrumptious, the other fresh, bright and peppery! Enjoy, darlings, and savor the flavors of the Asian yukina savoy!

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