Pho & Vietnamese Salad

 

I've now made these recipes twice - once on a cooking Zoom with a friend-of-a-friend, and once last Friday with five of my friends. I keep tweaking things to streamline, but this is an amazingly delicious recipe. Make it! 

 

Vietnamese Pho Soup

Serves 6 people

PHO BROTH INGREDIENTS:   Extra broth can be saved and frozen.

·         2 large Walla Walla sweet onions, peeled and halved

·         2, 3-inch pieces of fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into halves

·         3-4 tsp star anise or fennel seeds, toasted (OR 3-4 tsp ground anise or fennel powder)  

·         6 whole cloves (OR ½ tsp ground cloves)

·         3-5, 3 inch cinnamon sticks (OR  2 to 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon)

·         3-4 cardamom pods (OR couple pinches of ground cardamom)

·         1 ½ tablespoons whole coriander seeds (OR 3 tsp ground coriander)

·         12 cups good-quality beef, chicken or vegetable stock (this is 3 boxes of 32 fl oz stock)

·         1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar (optional - I leave it out)

·         3 teaspoons fish sauce (optional, but delicious – tamari or soy sauce for vegan)

·         1 teaspoon Sriracha (or red curry paste) – (optional)

·         Sea salt, to taste

PHO SOUP INGREDIENTS (substitute with your favorites):

 

·         12-15 oz UNCOOKED steak, chicken or pork, very thinly sliced (while still very cold/partially frozen) OR 1” cubes of FIRM tofu

·         8-12 oz UNCOOKED thin rice noodles or other flat noodle (Shirataki or Miracle Noodles perfect an easy)

·         1 medium sweet onion, very thinly sliced (or green onions)

·         Bean sprouts

·         Lime wedges

·         Handful of fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, and/or Thai basil)

·         Thinly-sliced jalapeno chiles

·         Sriracha sauce

Prep the protein in one of two ways. Either remove your meat from the freezer (to fridge) a couple hours ahead of time to let it defrost slightly OR put fresh meat into the freezer for 30-60 minutes before you are going to use it so it will freeze slightly and be easier to slice.  Both ways will allow your meat to be partially frozen and make it easy to thinly slice before adding it to the broth. 

Make the broth.  Turn your oven broiler onto HIGH.   Place the baking rack about 8 inches away from the heating element.   Broil that onion halves and ginger chunks for about 7-10 minutes, under broiler until the tops of the onion and ginger are slightly charred.  Then remove and set aside.   

While the onion and ginger are broiling, briefly heat the spices (whole or ground) on medium heat in a LARGE stockpot for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant (toasting brings out their flavor).  Stire them occasionally so they don't burn.  After toasting the spices, add the charred onion, ginger and broth to your stockpot and stir well. 

If you are using curry paste or Sriracha, measure out your curry paste into a very small bowl, add 2-3 Tbsp of broth to it and whisk well.  Add this liquid to the broth.

Cover and let this mixture come to a simmering boil.  Then turn down the heat a bit to medium low and let everything simmer together for at least 30 minutes so the flavors blend well.  Next, strain out and discard the onion and ginger root pieces and spices.  Then stir in the fish sauce, salt, and (optional) brown sugar.  Taste your broth for good flavor and add more salt/spice if needed.  

Prep the noodles. Meanwhile, as your broth is simmering, cook the noodles al dente according to the package instructions.  Drain in a strainer, then toss briefly with cold water to prevent the noodles from continuing to cook. Put them back into your cooking pot, add a little oil to prevent them from all sticking together and set aside.

Prepare the vegetables and garnishes. 

Chop up your fresh onion, herbs, cut your lime wedges and your jalapenos into slices if desired.  

Assemble the bowls.  Just before assembling the bowls, add your thinly sliced meat to the hot simmering broth and stir well.  Make sure the meat slices all get cooked thoroughly.

Note:  If you are using tofu, make sure it is drained and cubed ahead of time.  Then add it into the broth now so it can heat up for a few minutes. 

Add a handful of noodles to each individual serving bowl, top this with your slivered onions, and finally add ladles of your meat or tofu and the hot broth into the serving bowls.  Top with fresh herbs, lime wedges and jalapeno slices if desired. 

Recipe adapted from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/pho-recipe/ & Andrea Roelen, Hummingbird Kitchen

Vietnamese Cabbage, Jicama and Pear Salad  Serves about 4-6 people

SALAD INGREDIENTS (substitute as desired - this is also great with just chopped cabin and arugula):

½ Walla Walla sweet onion, diced

2 cups purple or green cabbage, roughly chopped

1 tart apple (Granny Smith or Cripps Pink are great), cored and julienned

2 cups jicama, grated (or subbed diced/julienned daikon radish)

1 large carrot, grated

1 firm pear, cored and julienned

¼ cup mint leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup toasted peanuts, lightly crushed for garnish (optional)

Chop up the onion, cabbage, apple, jicama, carrot, pear and mint leaves and add to a large bowl.  Set aside.  Toast peanuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes until golden brown.  Roughly chop them up and use them later as a salad topping garnish. 

 

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

4 Tbsp canola or avocado oil

¼ cup onion, finely minced

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4-1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)

4 T fish sauce (tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos if vegan)

¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 Tbsp sugar, depending on desired sweetness (optional – I don’t use any sugar)

 

Add the onions, garlic, ginger and Sriracha to a small mixing bowl.  Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar (optional - and it is perfection without it, so why add sugar?).  If adding, whisk well until sugar dissolves thoroughly into the dressing.  

Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and mix very well.  Taste and add salt if needed to bring out the flavors. Serve into portions and top with crushed peanuts. This dressing keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. 

Recipe adapted from Vietnamese Table, PCC Cooks

 

 

 

Unfussy: Hernekeitto

Made pea soup for dinner. Erik was not pleased. "But, I hate peas. I have always, always hated peas." True enough. I might have told him that herne are "special Finnish peas" and this is my favorite soup. So, he (very reluctantly) tried it. And, as often happens, he was pleasantly surprised. Thumbs up from Erik (even with his post-soccer hair).

And, Mads had a second bowlful, so she's a thumbs up there too.

Potato Leek Soup

Easiest ever, and always delicious.  Chop (and rinse) 3-4 leeks, chop several golden potatoes (I did 5), cover all with water, boil then simmer until everything is softened. Blend with an immersion blender and season to taste. I added homemade chicken stock to mine, diced chicken and some garlic foccacia croutons to serve. Delish! 

Callaloo! Kallaloo!

I first learned about Callaloo a few years ago from the book "Kallaloo" by David and Phillis Gershator. It's a Caribbean twist on the stone soup story and also has two recipes for callaloo in the back of the book, one using callaloo (a green popular in Trinidad) and one using spinach. I never got around to making either of the recipes, but we checked the book out a few times since it's a fun story.

Fast-forward to this June when I spied Callaloo ("Trinidad's most beloved soups - kale and coconut based with hints of nutmeg and topped with pulled chicken and lemon") on the menu at The Beach Cafe at our PTA Board dinner. I had to try a cup, which was delicious and spicy, and then I was determined to try my hand at the recipe! I didn't check the Kallallo book out again, although I should now that the kids have tried (and love) it... I just browsed online and found a wide variety of riffs on this popular soup. Since I really liked the version I tried at the Beach Cafe, I decided to wing it, and came up with this "recipe" all my own. It would be really delicious with large hunks of firm white fish in it too - or in place of the chicken.

Katrina's Kallaloo Soup

About 2 Tbs. olive oil (heat over medium until shimmering), then add
2 large shallots, chopped
6 cloves crushed garlic, and stir/cook until translucent and fragrant, then add
1 can anchovies in olive oil, drained
4 cups washed, mixed baby kale
2 bunches washed, chopped Lancinato (Tuscan) kale, ribs removed
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or more to taste) 
1-2 tsp. habanero hot-sauce (to taste), and stir/cook until kale is softened

Next, add 
1 (32 oz?) carton mushroom broth or chicken (I only had mushroom) 
1 carton butternut squash soup, and simmer for 20-30 minutes

Then, use an immersion blender to completely puree the kale, onions, etc. Taste soup and adjust seasonings if needed. 

Finally, add 
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, shredded
1 can light coconut milk
4-6 oz. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
zest from one large lemon

And, simmer until you're ready to serve. If you want to thicken up the soup, make a roux from a couple Tbs. of melted butter and flour. Enjoy!! 

Perfect Autumn Dinner

Our sunny skies abruptly changed to drizzly, sprinkly, gray and chilly, misty then downright rainy in the blink of an eye on Friday. Thursday people were in shorts, and Friday? Break out the Gortex folks, the rainy season is upon us!

But, lucky for me, I love the Pacific Northwest, and adore Autumn a fraction more than the other seasons, so I am ready. And, what better way to kick off the season than to cook up a staggeringly delicious pot of green chile bisque? Well, if you have our friend Vincent's recipe, get yourself some chiles, pronto because you need to get roasting!

Vincent's Green Chile Bisque
(adapted slightly by me, because I always tweak things)

1 lb Italian sausage (sweet, mild or hot, depending on taste)
2 cloves minced/chopped garlic
1 medium, chopped yellow or sweet onion
2 medium chopped tomatoes (heirloom taste the best)
1/2 cup chopped NM green chile (medium to hot, roasted and peeled)
32 oz. chicken broth (divided)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half, or whole milk with cornstarch, or *not Vince-approved* pureed Silken tofu) 
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Brown and drain 1 lb Italian sausage (sweet, mild or hot, depending on taste), and add 2 cloves minced/chopped garlic near the end; cook about 2 more mins. At this point, I dumped the cooked sausage into a bowl and cooked the rest in the pan separately, knowing that I was going to use my immersion blender to blend all the cooked onions, tomatoes and peppers (all of which Erik would turn his nose up at) into a pretty green-yellow soup of unidentifiable as veggies) 
Add 1 medium, chopped yellow onion to pan (I used a Walla Walla Sweet). Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are transparent, then add 
2 medium chopped tomatoes (heirloom taste the best) 
and 1/2 cup chopped NM green chile (medium to hot, roasted and peeled). To be honest, I couldn't wait to drive over to Whole Foods in Bellevue to get NM Hatch Chiles, so I grabbed three banana peppers and two gorgeous pablanos from the fruit market. I simply roasted until the broiler, then peeled and de-seeded when cool enough to touch. Add 16 oz. chicken broth to pot (slowly) and blend with immersion blender. 

While this is cooking, melt 1/4 cup butter and whisk in 1/4 flour to make a roux. 
Cook 1-2 minutes, then slowly add an additional 16 oz chicken broth while whisking. 
Add roux and broth mixture to meat mixture. Cook to thicken, then add 1 cup heavy cream. So, I also couldn't do the heavy cream. I planned on subbing 1 cup of pureed silken tofu (which doesn't curdle when hot, and would cut fat and boost protein) but couldn't find it, so went with half-and-half instead. I think whole milk and a bit of cornstarch would work well too...  

Simmer 10 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with warm tortillas and good beer and/or wine. 

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cilantro. It's my very favorite herb ever. Deliciousness personified. 

And, I made some baked corn-tortilla strips to go with...

Pioneer Woman's recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's delicious, just the right amount of spicy, and I made a triple batch today! Some for my friend Gina, who is recovering from surgery, some for Trilogy (who just had a baby boy), and some for our own family, because if you're house smells this heavenly, there is no way that you can't keep some for yourself!

You can find the recipe right here. And, it is easy, easy, easy to whip up. The hardest part is the shopping! Enjoy!!

Wordless Wednesday: "Miso Block" Noodles

Tastes Like Home

Bellingham is our other home. It's where Joel and I began, it's where we graduated college, and is the first home we moved away from together. And, it took a long time for us to feel like this was home. Even after we bought our house, it took a while for here to be home instead of feeling like B'ham was still the place to be...

Luckily, we've come to love our current home very much and feel very connected here as well. And, we also have some very close friends North of Bellingham and family in Sudden Valley, so we get to enjoy fun times with wonderful people on our visits back there.

One of the many nice memories of B'ham is Village Books and the Colophon Cafe. And, thankfully, I've also got a little cookbook of theirs. I made their African Peanut Soup this weekend, and it is as lovely as I remember — spicy, complex and delicious with ginger and garlic, peanuts, tomato and chile. Trust me, it's a top seller. And, the recipe is even online right here. Really, I wouldn't steer you wrong. I do, however, cut the tomatoes in half since I like this less tomato-filled. But, that's just my preference. Try it! Even if Bellingham was never your home, but especially if it was!!

Soup's On!

Is there anything better (or easier) than homemade soup? Really, chop/prep the ingredients, combine in soup pot, and simmer on the stove while you do other things. Easy! And, homemade soup tastes infinitely better than anything out of a can. Plus, there is way, way less sodium in soup you make yourself. Oh, and it happens to be a sneak-tastic way to get my veg scrutinizer to eat vegetables that he otherwise wouldn't willingly try. So, since Easter, I've made Potato Leek, Creamy Cauliflower, and today... 4B's Tomato Soup (Erik despises tomatoes).

Potato Leek is easier than pie, and my mom's fave. She actually prepped that one after Easter brunch by chopping up about six potatoes, and three large leeks (all, even the green part), tossed them in my soup kettle, and covered with water. It simmered for about an hour, then I seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, and whirred it up in my blender in batches. Voila! Dinner full of veg that E wouldn't usually eat (well, the leeks anyway).

I did the Creamy Cauliflower in similar fashion, cleaning and separating into florets, one head of cauliflower. I tossed that into a hot soup pot with 2 Tbs. of butter and about 1/3 cup of tiny star-shaped pasta. I browned that up, then added hot water to cover and simmered until the cauli was soft. Then I tossed in a can of navy beans (with bacon) for about 10 mins of simmering, a little garlic, celery salt and pepper, and whirred batches in my blender. Erik inhaled two bowls and said, "Hmm... I guess that I do like cauliflower. I thought I didn't."

(clockwise in pic: 4B's tomato regular and creamy, E enjoying his soup, E prepping cheese sammies to go with leek onion soup, and creamy cauliflower with cheese crisps)

And, so... on to an actual recipe! The 4B's is a popular restaurant chain in Montana, where we had this fabulous soup with Jamie and John on a summer road trip, nearly six years ago. I found the recipe online, posted by a local paper in Havre, MT. I'm going to follow it pretty closely, except for the cream part. To lighten up this one, I'm going to employ my trusty blender to "cream" the soup. My second reason for the blending is to get Erik to love tomatoes (which he's already informed me that he doesn't like and won't eat). Blending those tomatoes will make the soup creamy, yummy, and chunk-free!

4B's Tomato Soup (adapted from the recipe posted here, plus, I doubled the recipe since I had enough ingredients to do so!)
2 28-oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I used organic)
18 oz. chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. chopped onion
2 pinches of baking soda

Combine ingredients in a soup pot, bring to a low boil over medium-high, and then reduce to low to simmer for one hour. Then comes the cream part...

2 c. half and half - (and being doubled, if you are following the real recipe, this should be 4 c. half and half or cream - yikes!)

Heat the half and half in the microwave until nearly boiling, then add to tomato mixture (not the other way around) before serving.

I blended about 1/2 of the tomato mixture in the blender first, than added some of it back to the pot, which made the soup creamy without all the fat of the 4 c. of half and half (I only used 2c.), then add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!! I also separated a completely creamed amount out for Erik, and left the chunkier soup for the rest of us, so E's did have more of the half and half in it as well.

The verdict... Erik LOVED the creamy version of the 4B's soup! And, I think that tossing in a handful of carrots to simmer for the hour (for sweetness) and maybe blending in white beans would lend creaminess without the fat of half and half and add protein and vitamins — I'll definitely try that next time!