I was very pleased to see the new vendor at the farmer’s market with all sorts of unusual vegetables. What does one do with pumpkin vine? They had beautiful squash blossoms, gorgeous bok choy and other lovely things. Hopefully I’ll remember to bring my camera next time. Searching for inspiration for our Chinese broccoli purchase I was surprised to find a dearth of recipes. In the end I went for a simple saute with ginger and garlic after a quick blanch and it worked beautifully. I served that with some fried rice to help clear the fridge a bit since we’ll be off on vacation much of the upcoming week.

Fried Rice

1/4 slab bacon, cut into lardons
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large spring onion, chopped
4 cups cooked rice, chilled
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Render the bacon over low heat until crisp. Add carrots and onion to the pan and raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft. Stir in the rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil and cover, cook 4 or 5 minutes or until heated through.