Pasta with Mizuna

A few weeks ago our CSA goodie bag contained a bunch of mizuna. Having never seen or heard of mizuna before, I looked at it carefully and decided that it looked a lot like the leaves of a dandelion. I was very unsure of how to use it. Thankfully, our Farmer's Market included this recipe for Pasta with Mizuna and I am so glad that they did because it was excellent. I did a little research on mizuna and found that it is also known as Japanese Mustard Greens. In Japanese "mizuna" means water greens. It is usually used as a variety in salads or added to stir fries or other recipes, like this pasta dish, at the end of cooking. The flavor of mizuna was slightly peppery and similar to arugula. It was a nice addition to this savory pasta dish.

Pasta with Mizuna

Ingredients

1 pound of your favorite cooked pasta (I used bow tie)

3 slices thick sliced bacon, diced (optional)

1 bunch mizuna, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

3 tablespoons mustard

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring pasta water to boil and add in pasta. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a pan and set on paper towels to drain. Once cool, chop it up. Heat olive over medium heat in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, and red wine vinegar. Cook for five or six minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize. Add mustard, walnuts, lemon juice, and tomato and cook until the tomato begins to dissolve (about four minutes). Add mizuna and cook until it starts to wilt. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shaved parmesan.