Recipe #28: Parmesan Bok Choy with Walnuts

When I was in middle school my Mom and I were invited to a friend's Tea Party. I remember being a little confused because I had never been to a "real" tea party before and both she and I were not sure what exactly to expect. The theme of this tea party was basically an open house where we gathered at our friend's new home to tour the inside of their house. The father had actually designed the entire home himself and both the architecture and the interior of the house were very stylish and modern.

What is funny about all of this is that while I remember distinctly the shape of their house and their extremely lavish winding staircase I don't particularly remember what the furniture looked like. I don't remember a single painting and the color scheme has left me completely. But what I do remember is a specific appetizer in their catering menu.

I know for a fact that the appetizer was comprised of shorter pieces of romaine lettuce leaves, which had been ripped from the stem and left whole. At the bottom of the romaine leaf (towards the stem end) there was a generous dollop of creamy yet chunky blue cheese. Sprinkled lightly on top of the cheese were pine nuts. I thought these were so fabulous and so delicious that I still think of them today.

I attempted to find all of these ingredients at the grocery store thinking it would not be a challenge. Yet I found that Kroger only offers the very full and long heads of romaine lettuce and I was not sure how to trim it down without cutting the entire bottom part of the leaf. Then I could only find crumbly blue cheese, which would have tasted great but would not have had the creamy consistency I needed. And lastly, I found the pine nuts but they were so expensive that I could not justify the purchase. So I took a leap of faith and tried completely different ingredients and you know what? It was terrific (and SO much less expensive!)


Ingredients:

* 2 heads of Shanghai Bok Choy (shorter version of regular Bok Choy)
* 1 container of Aged Parmesan Peppercorn Dip
* Small Handful of Shaved Walnuts










Cooking Directions:

First, wash the bok choy under cold water and shake off well.

Remove each leaf by plucking them from the stem.

Lay each leaf down with the inside facing up (should appear like a soup ladle)

Then Scoop about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the Aged Parmesan Peppercorn Dip into the groove of each leaf.

Take the shaved walnuts and sprinkle a small amount over the top of the cheese.

Serve immediately and eat with your hands!