Springtime at the Santa Fe Farmers Market brings new arrivals each week as the growing season starts getting underway. This delicious sautéed salad, made with asparagus, peas, radishes, and bok choy, is a delightful medley of the season’s freshest flavors.
Taken from Farm Fresh Journey, The Santa Fe Farmers Market Cookbook, by author/photographer Douglas Merriam, it’s a quick, easy-to-make side.
As Douglas says:
“Simple to me means using fresh local food (especially from a farmers’ market) that is grown in the season you’re shopping. Fresh local food is packed with flavor, so you don’t need to embellish it with special spices or sauces. Simple doesn’t have to mean lackluster or boring—it can mean fast and flavorful. A lot of us are already stressed for time, so simple recipes can save us time and take a little bit of the stress out of preparing a delicious and flavorful dish.”
For more regionally-inspired recipes and to get to know our local farmers through stories and pictures, visit FarmFreshJourney.com to purchase the cookbook. A percentage of each sale goes to the Santa Fe Farmers Market to support their programs and efforts to help our hard-working, passionate Northern New Mexico farmers.
Sautéed Asparagus, Peas, Radish and Bok Choy
Serves 4-6
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 pounds asparagus, tough ends removed
- 1 cup fresh shelled young peas (about 1 pound of pea pods)
- 1 bok choy, bottom bulb removed, leafs cut into thin strips
- 1 bunch radishes (1/2 to 3/4 pounds), greens removed, sliced thin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method for Sauté
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus, turn to coat with butter, cover and cook until asparagus turns bright green, about 2 minutes.
Add the peas and stir, cook another 5 minutes until everything is tender. Turn off the heat, add the bok choy, stir once and cover, the residual heat will wilt the bok choy after several minutes.
Place the sautéed asparagus, peas and bok choy in a bowl, add the radishes, salt and pepper to taste, toss and serve.
This recipe and others can be found in Farm Fresh Journey, Santa Fe Farmers Market Cookbook by Douglas Merriam with seasonal narratives by Lesley S. King, or visit farmfreshjourney.com.