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.

It Just Works

I remember the first time I watched Julie & Julia and thought- "They get it!" After a bad day at the office Julie Powell comes home and extolls the virtues of cooking as both a methodical practice and mood-lightening experience, I thought "They get it!".  Just like the chocolate pie relives and revitalizes Julie Powell in the movie, so does cooking for me. Even after a stressful day full of meetings, answering to others, and demanding deadlines, coming home to a stove, some pans and fresh ingredients is an invitation to be creative. While I'm chopping and sauteing the worries of the day melt away. As I put the finishing touches on my dishes there is a warmth and joy inside that is rarely matched.


Today was such a day- a typical Monday wrought with twists and turns. Just when I thought my carefully planned schedule would allow ample time to accomplish my tasks this week with little to no extra time a wrench was thrown into the plans and everything went out the window. As I walked around the neighborhood looking for a little solace the only thing I could really think about was what to  make for dinner. My heart immediately went to comfort food, but my brain quickly reminded my heart that we are on a goal to eat healthier. So we compromised. The result is Gruyere macaroni and cheese, roasted chicken breast, sliced fresh tomatoes, and steamed brussel sprouts. I know, not the lightest meal I've ever made, but it fit the bill and satisfied both the heart and the brain.

The mac n' cheese is super easy. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I always start with a basic roux- a paste made from flour and fat (read: olive oil). So I warmed up about 1 TBSP olive oil in a skillet, tossed in some roasted garlic (which I am totally obsessed with right now, but we can talk about that later), and let the two heat up together. Once the oil is warm I added about 1 1/2 TBSP flour to the pan, whisking them together to make something a little thicker than a paste.Get your pasta water boiling and add your pasta so it can cook while you are making your sauce.  Keeping the pan hot I added 1 cup of 2% milk and a dash of nutmeg. Whisk again and let that come up to a boil. Once the milk is bubbling add another cup of milk and bring it back up to a boil. After the milk is up to it's second boil start adding your cheese. In this case I added Monterrey Jack and Gruyere. More Gruyere than Jack, but taste as you go to find a balance that makes you happy. Once all of the cheese is blended in and melted reduce the heat. Drain the pasta and give it a second to get all of the water out. I like to use twisty shapes for my macaroni and cheese it sometimes takes a second to get the water out. Mix the pasta into the cheese sauce to cover the noodles. Add the noodle and cheese sauce to an oven-safe dish (typically a small casserole dish will do). Toss some bread crumbs or Panko with some olive oil and then sprinkle on top of the mac n' cheese. Let it back in the oven for about 30 mins.

One of my favorite cheats is buying a whole roasted chicken from the grocery store. I mean, what's easier than just coming up and pulling that apart? Now you have chicken for the week ready to go, no defrosting. Plus I like to put it in salads for work or use it for enchiladas.

Give the mac n cheese about 10 mins to cool after it comes out of the oven. Slice your tomatoes and steam your brussel sprouts or vegetable of choice. By the time you do all that it's ready to eat. Simple, satisfying, and no matter how crazy the day it will all come together just like you thought. What an amazing thing!