Friday night Pho

The recipe for this meal is super long, so I'll keep my babbling to a minimum. I made stock early last week because, well, I don't have a reason why. My freezer is still pretty full, and I'll be getting a new third of a cow at the end of summer, so I need to get cookin', I guess. I wasn't sure what I was going to make with the stock, but I had pho in mind (see more on that below).


Pho is way easier than I thought it would be, though getting the broth just right is not easy (more on that below too).


Whatever, here's the recipe.


For beef stock:
2 medium yellow onions, chopped roughly
2 medium carrots, chopped roughly
4 stalks celery, chopped roughly
4-inch piece ginger, peeled
5-6 pounds beef soup bones (marrow and knuckle bones)
8 - 10 peppercorns


Note: the below is how I made my stock because I wasn't sure I was going to use it all for pho.  I made a semi-traditional brown stock.  To make a stock specifically for pho, do not roast the beef bones, do not add celery or carrots, and add 5 star anise, 6 whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick to the stock in the beginning.  If I was ever to make stock specifically for pho, I would probably make pork stock, actually.)

1. Roast the onion, carrot, celery, and ginger on a cookie sheet in the oven for 15 - 25 minutes. Use tongs to occasionally rotate them and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. You do not have to blacken entire surface, just enough to slightly cook them.  Roast the beef bones in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

2. Place the roasted vegetables, beef bones, and peppercorns in a stock pot (minimum 12-quart capacity) and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 6 - 12 hours.  In the beginning, skim off any fat and impurities from the surface of the stock.

3. Once done, strain the stock through fine strainer. Discard solids.

4. Cool the stock and refrigerate it overnight.  Makes about 4 quarts.

For pho broth:

1  1/2 tablespoons salt

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1 ounce (1-inch chunk) yellow rock sugar (duong phen; see Note)

1. Remove the stock from the fridge, and skim the fat off the top.

2. Ladle the amount of stock you intend to use into a large saucepan.  Add the salt, fish sauce, and sugar - but not all the quantity stated above unless you are using the all the stock you made, adjust the quantities to the amount you are using.  

3. Taste and adjust flavor with additional ingredients if you would like. The pho broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.)


For pho bowls:

1  1/2-2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles ("rice sticks'')1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin, London broil or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (1/16 inch thick; freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Ground black pepper


Garnishes: 
Asian/Thai basil (hung que)
Bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound)*
Red hot chiles (such as Thai bird or dragon), thinly sliced
Lime wedges
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha


*I don't like bean sprouts so didn't include them, but it is traditional to do so.


The key is to be organized and have everything ready to go. 


1. Place the basil, sliced chiles, and lime wedges on a garnish plate.


2. Heat the pho broth (should already be heating) and ready the noodles. To ensure good timing, reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water.


3. Blanch noodles. Fill 3- or 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth.


4. If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate.


5. Add other ingredients to the bowl. Place slices raw meat atop noodles. Garnish with chopped cilantro (thinly sliced onion and scallions are other garnishes, but I don't like either). Finish with black pepper.


6. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve your pho with with the garnish plate.


I think my first foray into pho was a success. I am spoiled here in Portland with a vast number of excellent pho places, and the fact that mine even semi-stood up made me happy. 


Here is the pho I ate while watching baseball last Friday night. A fine Friday night indeed.

Bon appetit.

Raggameal: Peanut Noodles

Last night was my Fantasy Football draft.  You must be thinking, wow, Erin, you are probably a pretty big NFL fan.  I am not.  I don't know anything about football.  The only NFL players I can name are famous for things other than football.  Like Tom Brady, who I drafted by the way, impregnated both Michelle Moynahan and Gisele Bundchen so of course I know who he is.  

So, ya, it was draft night so I didn't have much time to deal with cooking.  I had planned on getting take out, but I didn't even have time for that.  I was talking to a friend, telling him I was about to dig in the cupboards to see what I could craft into a meal.  His response?  Oh, a raggameal, huh?  I love it.  Post title, check! 

I dug around, and found that I had rice noodles.  I always have peanut butter and the other ingredients for peanut sauce, and I miraculously had broccoli and a red pepper.  I don't even remember when or why I bought those two items, but there they were, in my fridge and fresh(ish).

I have made peanut noodles before (see here) so this recipe is not new, but whatever.

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chili pepper, minced
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

some broccoli, cut into florettes

(You can use whatever veggies you want)

1 package rice noodles

(I used pad thai-type noodles, but anything will work here.  Even non-rice noodles are good.  I have made peanut noodles with spaghetti before, and it was delicious)

1 tsp sesame seeds

1.  Make peanut sauce.

Heat oil in saucepan.  DO NOT HEAT TOO MUCH.  Keep the burner on low - medium.  Add garlic and chili pepper and cook for 15 seconds.  Add peanut butter and stir until warm.  Add soy sauce and stir until combined.  Add water a bit at a time, stirring, until combined.  Add remaining ingredients, stir, and cook 4 minutes.  I usually end up using more like 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar, but you can adjust the ingredients to your tastes.  I also add a healthy dose of Sriracha. 

2.  Cook the broccoli and red pepper, if you want.  I am not a huge fan of raw broccoli, though I do like raw red peppers.  I sauted the broccoli until tender, then turned off the skillet and threw in the red peppers.  They got kind of warm, but didn't really cook.

3.  Boil water and cook the noodles as the package directs.

4.  Here is choice time.  Do you want cold noodles (my preference) or warm noodles.  If you want warm, drain the pasta, throw in the veggies and peanut sauce, toss and eat.  This works best if the peanut sauce is still warm.  If you want cold noodles, you have to let the peanut sauce cool a bit.  Then drain the noodles and run cold water over them.  Add the veggies and peanut sauce and toss.

5.  Put some on a plate and sprinkle sesame seeds to make it pretty.  Eat.

According to the authorities, I did really well in my draft.  Yay! I did have one autopick because I missed my slot while cooking, but whatever.

Oh, and like all my cooking, it was delicious.  I ate WAY too much of it.

Bon appetit.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

*** The Giants have won the first two games of the World Series.  It's hard to talk about cooking with that kind of excitement! ***


I didn't really make this dinner last night.  With the first game of the World Series starting at 5 and a Blazer game at 7:30, there was no time to even consider cooking a meal.  I ordered a pizza from American Dream and forgot to take pics, not that a pepperoni pizza makes for interesting photos.  And how am I supposed to talk about ordering a pizza on a cooking blog?


This meal is from last Friday.  Per the norm, I got home starving but without any idea of what to cook.  I rummaged through the pantry and found some wide rice noodles.  That was a start.  I had a jalapeno and some garlic in my produce basket, so I thought - peanut sauce.  Peanut sauce makes everything delicious, in my opinion.  


2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chili pepper, minced
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1 Tbsp finely chopped mint


Heat oil in saucepan.  Add garlic and chili pepper and cook for 15 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients, except mint, and cook 4 minutes.  Add mint and serve.


In the case of this dinner, I did not have roasted peanuts or mint.  Also, I don't really use this recipe to the T - I just sort of add peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and brown sugar until it tastes right to me.  Also, I always put in a squirt of Sriracha.


As I mentioned, I was quite hungry while I put together this meal.  It ended up taking longer than I anticipated, mostly because I did a bad job of softening the rice noodles, so while I waited, I set up the photo shoot.  I took a pic of the bare plate because I thought it was sorta funny.  


Bon appetit.

Pimientos de Padron

I mentioned yesterday the absurd amount of zucchini I bought at the farmers market.  Many times when I have an item that I am not sure how I want to cook, I will either look to Martha Stewart or the New York Times Recipes for Health.  For an item like zucchini, NY Times is definitely the go-to.  The Recipes for Health are generally pretty simple and, as the name denotes, healthy.  When I saw the Rice Noodles with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Fresh Mint, I knew it was the perfect recipe; I had all the ingredients necessary already in my kitchen.


I also decided to cook up the pimientos de patron that I picked up at the aforementioned farmers market.  Pimientos de patron are one of my favorite treats.  I love peppers, and these little guys are just delicious.  All they need is a quick saute in olive oil and a dusting of coarse salt.  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

1 pound zucchini, cut in 1/4-inch dice

1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded* and cut in 1/4-inch dice, or 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, partially drained

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

7 to 8 ounces thin rice sticks

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino or crumbled feta (optional)

* To seed the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half along the equator, place a strainer over a bowl and seed the tomatoes into the strainer. Rub the gelatinous seed pods against the strainer to extract flavorful juice, and discard the seeds.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the rice sticks in a large bowl, and cover with hot water. Let sit 20 minutes, until pliable. Drain and cut the noodles in half, into roughly 6- to 8-inch lengths, with kitchen scissors.

2. While the rice sticks are soaking, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the zucchini. Cook, stirring, until the zucchini begins to soften and the skin becomes bright green, about three minutes. Add the tomatoes with juice and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 10 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the tomatoes have begun to break down. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasonings, and set aside.

3. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the rice sticks. Boil one minute and drain. Toss with the zucchini and tomato mixture, the remaining olive oil and the mint. Serve, passing the cheese for people to sprinkle on at the table.

Bon appetit.