Pho Sho'

I love Pho. It's that simple. Pho, for me, is a cross between the warmth of mom's homemade soup and and the exotic flavors of far flung places. I  could eat Pho everyday in the winter and most days in the summer. The richly flavored broth paired with soft noodles, spicy peppers, basil, cilantro, and tender meat is, in my eyes, one of the most perfect meals. I unabashedly slurp my way to the bottom of the bowl and ultimately end with a smile of pure satisfaction.

Now, there are a lot of great Pho places here in Portland. You can easily find a local joint serving pipping hot Pho in almost every neighborhood. In North Portland there is Pho Jasmine which is a little hole in the wall kind of place. There is Pho Van on Hawthorne. And there is Jade Bistro in Sellwood, which is just plain amazing. All of these places will deliver on the promise of delicious Pho, but there are just sometimes that I don't want to leave the house. Imagine my delight when hidden within this month's Bon Appetit issue about Christmas cookies there is a quickie Pho recipe.
I had to try it.

Here is the link to the recipe: Bon Appetit Faux Pho

The beauty of this recipe is that it uses store bought beef broth and ramen noodles to speed up the process. What is great is that given enough time, you can develop the deep flavors of the Pho houses without the days of stewing.

Start with 1/2 of a small onion and garlic in a warm pot with some vegetable oil on medium-high.  You build flavor in steps- sauteing the onions and garlic, add the broth and water, boil the anise and cinnamon, soften the mushrooms, and let it all steep for a little before adding the beef.

 

In the meantime, use ramen noodles- yes, the ramen noodles you get 10 for $1 at the store. You just boil the noodles and throw out the flavor packet. You'll have enough flavor building in your broth.

Once the noodles are ready, put a spoonful in a bowl along with your favorite Pho garnishes. I favor cilantro, basil, and jalapenos, but use what makes you happy.

Heat your beef in the broth and then ladle everything over the noodles and in less than an hour you have a bowl of instant happiness.

I can tell this is going to be one of my 'go-to' recipes for the remainder of the winter. The beauty is that it makes enough for 2 big bowls or 4 small bowls. In my case I packed the broth with the peppers, cilantro, and basil and wrapped the noodles in plastic wrap so I can take them to work tomorrow for lunch.