Farm Focus: Mizuna
We have completely fallen in love with Mizuna, a delicious and nutritional powerhouse.
Tender frond-like leaves, it is peppery like arugula, milder than endive or frisée, and it adds delicious depth to green salads, especially those that include slices of fresh apple or pear. Their flavorful leaves are delicious topped on a pizza, stacked on a grass-fed burger, or tucked into a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s terrific in a stir fry or sautéed with garlic, ginger and mushrooms.
Mizuna is one of those vegetables that a lot of people haven’t tried but it’s easy to use and a great addition to any meal. Mizuna is a mild tasting Asian green that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Here are ways to use this nutritious green:
Pasta.
Asian greens can be tossed with pasta and fresh parmesan. While the pasta is cooking sauté chopped mizuna in olive oil with garlic. When the noodles are ready, drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the noodles, parmesan and a bit of the pasta water together in a skillet over low heat. Add more pasta water if the mixture looks dry. Serve with crushed red pepper and extra cheese.
Mizuna Pesto.
Use your favorite pesto recipe and top a steak with the pesto or toss into warm pasta. It will melt the cheese on the pesto, and warm up the oil and garlic. Top with more parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Salad.
Wash and chop the salad into bite size pieces. Mix with lettuce or any greens for salad. Mizuna works well with spinach and arugula.
Bacon and Mizuna Risotto.
Stir chopped and cleaned mizuna and chopped bacon into a batch of risotto at the end of cooking. The mizuna will wilt perfectly. Try pairing with mushrooms too.
Stir-fry.
Asian greens are of course perfect for stir-fry. Pair with any vegetables, add lots of garlic and ginger, and your protein of choice.
Soup.
Greens go great in soups and especially miso soup. Just toss them into any vegetable soup at the end of cooking. Mizuna pairs well chicken noodle or lightly creamy soups.
Grain Salads.
Toss raw, chopped mizuna with farro, quinoa, rice, barley, or any grain for fresh salads.
