>> As you're walking throughthe produce section, you might mistake this for celery.

But don't be fooled.

This is bok choy, and China has been cultivating this vegetable since the fifth century.

The literal translation from Mandarin is green vegetable, and bok choy is a staple in many Asian dishes.

We often call it white cabbage or Chinese cabbage, but whatever you call it, bok choy is beloved for its versatility and its mild, fresh flavor.

I'm Charity Nebbe.

On this episode ofIowa Ingredient, we'll visit a family farm to see what it takes to grow and harvest this veggie.

And our good friend, Master Chef, David Baruthio will stop by the studio kitchen to share some tasty recipes using bok choy.

All that and more coming up next on Iowa Ingredient.

>> Funding for Iowa Ingredient is provided by the WT and Edna M Dahl Trust, Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center, and Chef Michael LaValle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business, located in downtown Des Moines and in West Des Moines.

And Friends, the Iowa PBS foundation.

[music playing] >> I just put that on the side.

>> And just add some warm cantaloupe flavor.

>> Chef Katie, you'vedone it again.

>> (laughter) Thank you so much.

>> Saluti!

>> Bok choy is sometimes called soup spoon because of the shapeof its leaves.

And the entire plant is edible, from its clustered stalks, which kind of have a celery-like crunch, to its dark green leaves, which are soft and crisp.

Bok choy is commonly used in stir fries, but it's also fabulous in braises, soups, salads, or even on its own.

>> It's the first genuine hotsummer day in Iowa City.

At Trowel and Error Farm, growers Carly McAndrews and Bryant Mann are ready to begin their harvest of bok choy.

[music playing] >> All right, and we're harvesting 40 heads.

>> These little plants went in the ground a few weeks before the final frost date in April.

In Iowa, planting bok choy in spring is a bit more challenging than planting a fall crop, because this plant, like other brassicas, is prone to bolting in thehot, humid summer months.

But efficiently harvesting bok choy is just one part of the job for these two young farmers.

>> So, at Trowel andError Farm, we run about a 15-member, community-supported agriculture program.

So we grow about 40 differentkinds of vegetables.

So everything from carrots,radishes, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, kind of the whole range of things.

>> Yeah, I really enjoyworking outside.

And just being able to see the product of my efforts, like, always right there, you can see what you've done.

And it's really cool.

>> So maybe 10 more or so?

>> Carly and Bryant have yearsof combined experience working on vegetable farms.

They've picked up several tips for how to successfully grow a wide variety of vegetables, including bok choy.

>> It's definitely a spring and fall crop.

So it grows the best of those times of year.

Today is a super hot day, so getting them in the water quickly is important.

I think that maybe the mainissue of growing bok choy is pest pressures.

>> Yeah, trying to make sure...

The aphids like it, so I want to make sure the aphids are all washed off.

>> So we have a lot of flea beetle pressure, and we'll use the, like you saw, the row cover to protect it from flea beetles.

So I think investingin some row cover does go a long way for making sure that you have a good bok choy harvest.

The spacing really depends on the variety.

It's called mei qing choy.

This is a mini variety of bok choy, and yeah, we just really kind of dug the light green stems and the leaf shape.

So for the one that we grew, the mei qing choy.

We would space that about 6 inches apart.

You could go as close as 4 inches.

But with the larger varieties of bok choy, you're going to want to go more, like, 8 or 12 inches apart.

Yeah, that's a variety called prize choy.

And it has, like, the white stems and is maybe, like, a more traditional bok choy.

Like most cabbage family crops, it is a high nitrogen demander.

So I think that if you have a garden bed, adding a good amount of compost it will go a long way for making sure that you have a healthy crop.

He always stacks things so neatly.

[laughter] >> This native of Asia has really found its place in Iowa.

Sure, it might have some quirks, but bok choy is a versatile veggie that will continue to find its way into a wide variety of dishes, thanks in part to the efforts of people like Carly and Bryant.

>> Yeah, I think I really enjoy cooking with it because sometimes we just, like, don't have the appetite for a really big thing.

So it's nice to have something smaller, and it's versatile.

(laughter) Super delicious.

Give it a try.

(laughter) >> Awesome.

[music playing] >> And now, I'm here in the kitchen with Chef David Baruthio.

Master Chef David Baruthio.

>> Hi, how are you?

>> It's wonderful to have you here again.

>> Great to be back again.

>> And remind me, you have had an international career all over the world.

What brought you to Iowa?

>> Well, originally a job.

You know?

I came as a consultant to do some culinary work for someone in town, and that person was a friend of the lady who became my wife.

>> Oh, nice.

So you came to Iowa for a job, but you stayed for love?

>> Pretty much.

>> (laughter) And you've been a big part of the food scene in Des Moines for a long time.

>> Absolutely.

I loved it.

I like the culture,the simple life.

Iowa is one of those few places in the world where it's very family orientated, it's easy.

And also, the climate.

You get four seasons.

A little bit too cold for me in winter, but the growing part, the farming part, the nature, it's-- I had a good time here.

>> Yeah, well, and you've been here long enough to really see the local food movement-- >> Absolutely.

>> Blossom.

So there are so many-- >> They grow a lot.

>> Ingredients you can getnow that you probably couldn't get when you firststarted cooking in Iowa.

>> Correct.

It was more limited.

And also, consider the audience, also.

The people that go out eating,they're more adventurous.

They try new things.

And there's more food being imported, and no, it's been fun to watch things evolve over the years.

>> Yeah, and you've helped them evolve.

>> Well, a little bit.

I put a little bit of my spin to it, you know?

A little French je ne sais quoi.

>> Yes (laughter) So, today we're going to be cooking with bok choy.

>> Yes.

>> And you know, it's funny to think about.

When I was growing up in Iowa, to get food from around the worldwas pretty rare.

And so, I can tell you about the first time I had Chinese food.

I can tell you about the first time I -- >> I bet.

>> ate humus Or the first time I had Indian food.

These are all specific memories, because they were such exciting, new flavors.

And bok choy is one of thosethings that a lot of us didn't grow up eating.

>> No.

And for me, as a French person, I don't think I ever had bok choy before I worked in Asia or came to live in Iowa.

>> So, what is it?

>> Well, it's in the family of the cabbage.

It's really, it is a cabbage.

And it was coming first inThailand, Vietnam, China.

And you have two majorkind of bok choy.

You have the bok choy, the green one, small one that you see in stir fry.

And now you have more the cabbage bok choy.

That is a bigger, green leaf, white stalk.

And it's-- you can braise it, you can saute it, you can stir fry it, you can-- and I just found out, you can eat it raw in a salad.

>> Right, you can makea slaw out of it.

>> You can make a slawout of bok choy.

>> I've got to try that sometime.

But it has a very mild flavor, so it supports other flavors really well.

>> It's more of a side dish, or it's more the vegetable in a dish.

It could be a salad by itself,but it is also very rich in vitamin E, A, and C. >> Oh, nice.

>> So very healthy for you.

>> Delicious and good for you.

>> Delicious and good.

>> Well, let's get cooking with bok choy.

>> Absolutely.

>> All right.

>> Thank you.

>> All right, we've got somebeautiful bok choy here.

And what are we going to make?

>> So, we're going to make a braised bok choy with coconut and mushroom stir fry with a little bit of ginger.

Going to finish it with a little hard boiled eggs.

In the Asian culture, they like to eat eggs with certain things.

So we're going to go kind of not vegan, but vegetarian.

>> All right.

>> Lots of Asian flavor and attitude today.

>> This is exciting.

>> Yes, I think so.

>> Where do we start?

[music playing] >> So, we are going to start with the sauce.

I'm going to put a little bit of lime.

There's a lot of lime in the Asian cuisine, and ginger, and garlic.

And then I got some palm sugar that I'm just going to let melt in there.

>> Palm sugar?

>> Yeah.

Palm sugar.

Yeah.

And we'll add the coconut.

Coconut milk.

>> Right.

Which is a very high fat, rich-- >> It is.

>> Milk.

>> And then we're going toput some ginger in there.

>> Nice.

>> A little bit of garlic that I chopped-- sliced very thinly.

And we're not goingto use all of it, because we need it later for the stir fry.

And a pinch of salt.

And we're going tolet that cook, just for now.

>> All right.

>> So, during that time, we'll put the other pan on, and we'll prepare the bok choy.

So, the bok choy, it's very important, I did it before, it's importantto clean it very well.

Because, like, look, it's got several leaves, and you can have dirt that sticks into it.

Even when you buy it in a store or the farmer's market, it's very importantto wash it well.

>> OK, so get down in all those nooks and crannies.

>> Absolutely.

So, yeah.

I think that's plenty, right?

>> OK. >> So I got some sesame oil here.

We're going to let that sesame oil go really hot, and then we're going to sear our bok choy in there.

Perfect.

>> I think a lot of us are usedto seeing bok choy cut up into small pieces.

>> Small pieces.

I like to keep it whole, because we really-- what we do is a dish whereyou can carve in, like-- the bok choy is the main highlight of the dish.

Versus most of the time, like you said, bok choy is part of a dish.

So this one, you're making it the star.

Yes.

>> All right.

>> And we're about there with the searing.

>> All right.

>> So we're going to put them on the side for now.

We put back a little bit of sesame oil again.

>> OK. >> Then I have my mushrooms.

>> And what kind of mushrooms?

>> So, they are enoki.

>> OK. >> So they are, again, alsoan Asian style mushroom.

So we just kind of saute them with a little bit of salt.

And here is where we put the garlic that I had left over before.

>> Well, I'm already lovingthe many different shapes and colors in this dish.

A feast for all the senses.

>> Exactly.

So I got some chili pepper, also.

A little mild.

Add all that.

And my ginger.

>> Lovely.

>> So, this, I'm goingto deglaze that with the little bit of the stock that I have.

This is just pure vegetable stock.

[sizzling] And when this is done to be sauteed, we're going to pour all that in our coconut here.

>> All right.

>> Voila.

>> Wonderful.

>> Let that cook off a little bit.

And we let that cook for about five, six minutes to reduce it down.

>> OK. >> And that's it for now.

So, we're going to go back to our bok choy here.

>> OK, they go back in the pan?

>> Yeah, dry pan.

Nothing in there.

And you will know right away in a minute why.

So you put in there, so they are kind of tender, but still a little bit of crunchiness and al dente feel to it.

Yeah.

So here, I got my nuts.

So I like salted roasted cashew nuts.

Just crumble like this, right?

And this is my so-- this is a gluten free soy sauce.

>> OK. >> So we want to kind of put everything into it.

And then we'll-- this is a ponzu vinegar.

So it's a Japanese-- I mean, ponzu is a Japanese citrus, really.

>> OK. >> And now we let that reduce.

>> And that's going to bring some beautiful color into this.

>> Beautiful flow of colors, and also it kind of added a little bit of flavor then, and saltiness to the bok choy.

And we let that reduce.

We want to have it nearly have no juice at all, because our sauce is here.

>> Yes, it's good and juicy.

>> Good and juicy.

We have the mushroom to garnish right over here.

So I got some cilantro here that we can add a little bit, little flakes to it.

I just like to break it.

Just like that.

Whole leaves.

>> Nice.

And yet another aroma gets added to this complex mixture.

I love that.

>> So we are ready when basically everything has pretty much evaporated.

>> Just let that reduce down.

>> Exactly.

>> So here we go.

Our bok choy, you see all the liquid is evaporated?

We're getting that nice, little brownish caramelization.

And it's all evaporated, so you just got those beautiful sugar and aroma left in the pan.

>> Yeah.

>> Just going to make sure that the bok choy is nicely coated into it, and it has absorbed all the liquid.

And now it's time for plating.

>> Great.

>> We are absolutely perfect.

>> Wonderful.

All right.

Let's put this dish together.

>> Perfect.

So, what we do, we take a little bit of our mushroom coconut base.

We use that as the base, like a soup in the bottom.

>> Even if it weren't for the flavor of the peppers, that color just brings-- >> It just pops.

>> Yeah, it really brings something special to it.

>> Now we're going to placethe bok choy in there.

Put the nuts on top of it.

>> Nice.

>> See how the caramelization is just perfect?

>> I was hoping they weren'tgoing to be left behind.

>> No, we're usingall on this dish.

>> Nice.

>> So I got a little bit of green spring onion to finish up.

A little bit of parsley.

And this is my spin to it.

I like-- so I told you I had hard boiled eggs that I prepared before, that I cooked for about 14 minutes.

Still a little bit runny in the middle.

>> Nice.

>> And then we got that.

Finish up with more parsley here.

Touch of cilantro.

Little bit of sea salt,and viola.

>> Wonderful.

It is gorgeous, and I can't wait to try it.

>> Let's do it.

>> Let's do that.

All right we have knives and forks.

>> We do need a knife on that dish.

>> So we can cut into that.

>> You go ahead.

>> All right.

>> Make sure you get some ofthat sauce and that egg together, that's the main thing.

>> Yeah.

>> It's got that salty,brothy goodness.

[music playing] The bok choy has a little bit of a bite to it, and the egg brings so much richness to it.

Oh.

I've never eaten anything like this, but it is fantastic.

>> Thank you.

>> Chef David, thank you so much.

>> My pleasure.

[music playing] [music playing] >> The first Iowa Statecreamery started in 1927, part of Iowa State University's longstanding agricultural tradition.

The creamery provided studentswith hands-on experience making cheese, butter,ice cream, and other dairy products, until it closed in 1969.

Today, the ISU Creamery is back in business, the ice cream business, with a new visionand new flavors.

[music playing] >> All of our ice creams are named, or representing, traditions and people of Iowa State.

We invited college students,alumni, faculty, staff, anyone affiliated with Iowa State to enter their concept.

They simply had to explaintheir concept, and how it fit into their college.

Describe the productreally clearly.

And then we had deans of all the colleges judge these entries.

>> That is really good.

This is the Marston?

>> Yeah.

>> Yum!

>> So the students get to work in actual production, as you see behind me.

So they get to make the ice cream.

And this starts from procuring the ingredients.

Doing production, so learning about food safety, but also about the equipment, because they can learn food safety in the store, but they don't get to learnpasteurization or equipment processing.

We have a couple of students who are running the social media accounts for the creamery.

A couple of students who are thinking of ideas for our wall design.

Just getting to takethat initiative, and let them own the creamery store, because it is their experience,and it is their store, I think is really beneficial to them.

>> Today, we started the day with white chocolate squirrel.

We have this famous leucistic squirrel that has been around Iowa State, so this is honoring him.

It is a white chocolate flavored ice cream with hazelnut spread and chopped hazelnuts layered in.

>> So we do multiple layers since we're hand packing so that the inclusionscan be all throughout.

The other one that we're going to make in the second chamber, and that's going to beMarston Mash.

And that is the College of Engineering.

All ice cream startsas soft serve.

Doesn't matter what kind it is, as long as it's ice cream.

It's got the wordice cream in it, starts as soft serve.

And to be ice cream, it needs to have dairy.

Legally, ice cream must have 20% dairy solids.

And 10 of those, minimum, need to be fat.

So for the word ice cream to be on a package, it's minimum 10% fat.

We have eggs.

We've decided to use eggs, because Iowa is a poultry state.

It's a very important part of our economy.

I personally am trying to make a product that's not super sweet, because sugar is not good for us.

There are much better things in ice cream than the sugar.

A lot of the ingredients in ice cream that you'll see on the back of a package are things that maybe you can't pronounce.

So even though it might scare people to see these words like locust bean gum, it's entirely natural and it helps bind water so that your ice cream doesn't feel like an ice cube.

>> Care is taken in every step of the process, from the ingredients they use to the way each container is lovingly packed by hand.

>> We do lovingly make it.

It almost makes me want tocry hearing you say that, because it's absolutely true.

And we take a great deal of pride in what we do.

This was so important to me to get established here, because it means jobs for these young people when they graduatebecause they're getting that hands-on experience, that exposure to the field.

>> That's it for this week's show.

Thank you for once again taking the time to share in our state's food culture.

I'm Charity Nebbe.

See you next time for another episode of Iowa Ingredient.

[music playing] >> Keep in mind that circumstances are always changing, so please take a moment to check ahead if you're planning to visit a restaurant, farm, or event featured on the show.

[Captioning provided by] [Karasch] [800-621-5689 www.karasch.com] >> Funding for Iowa Ingredient is provided by the WT and Edna M Dahl Trust, Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center, and Chef Michael LaValle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business, located in downtown Des Moines and in West Des Moines.

And Friends, the Iowa PBS foundation.

Generations of family and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.