Recipe: Spicy and Quick Pho Lon (Pork Pho)

Making traditional pho broth can take days... so I cheat mightily to get this recipe down to a more manageable time frame AND add more veggies than would be traditional because, well, it's healthier.  Oh, and I pull the Japanese trick of adding a whisked egg to the soup at the end to add some richness :)

Ingredients:
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup dry sherry
1 package bonito flake, approx. 4 oz. (available in bulk in Asian markets)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. chili/garlic paste
1 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. ground corinader
2 star anise cloves
2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 lbs. of pork butt, VERY thinly sliced (have your butcher do it)
1 1/2 cups of chopped spring onion or leeks
2 cups of fresh carrots, thinly sliced
1 whole Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
2 cups of chopped rapini (i.e. broccoli rabe)
1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped Tokyo turnips or other soft turnip
1 large package (20 - 24oz.) of thin rice noodles (Vietnamese vermicelli)
10 large eggs

Directions:
Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions, shocking with water at the end to chill.

In a large stock pot, combine chicken broth, water, sherry, and all spices and condiments.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes to allow the flavors to fully combine.  Remove the star anise cloves with a slotted spoon before continuing.

Add the pork butt and onion.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the carrots, mushrooms, and turnips.  Raise heat to return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Add the cabbage and rapini, return to boil, then reduce heat to simmer again covered for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place approx. 1 cup of cooked noodles into the bottom of a bowl.  Ladle in 1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture.  Crack an egg into a separate small bowl and whisk with chopsticks then pour into the hot soup bowl.  Mix the egg into the soup with chopsticks thoroughly before eating (this will cook the egg).

Makes approx. 10 servings.

Recipe: Roasted Curry Vegetable Soup

This was just so darn good, especially as the weather has gotten chilly around here...

Ingredients:

1 large rutabaga, peeled, cut into chunks

1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into chunks

1 large fennel bulb, fronds removed, cut into chunks

1 large cauliflower, separated into florets

1 large red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

1 large leek, ends removed, chopped finely

3 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder

1 tsp. ground white pepper

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. dried mint

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. ground black pepper

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry vermouth

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place chunked rutabaga, potato, fennel, cauliflower, and bell pepper into a large roasting pan. Drizzle 1/2 of the olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle evenly with the kosher salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to mix the vegetables well and ensure they are coated evenly with olive oil. Roast the vegetables for 35 minutes.

In a large stock pot, melt the butter in the remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Add the leeks and garlic, cover, and saute for about 10 - 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all the roasted vegetables to the stock pot. Add all of the remaining spices, chicken broth, heavy cream, and vermouth and stir well to combine. Raise heat to high and cook, uncovered, until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and recover and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Makes about 10 servings.

Recipe: Indian Roasted Chicken with Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I have been watching way too much Food Network and Cooking Channel lately and have been getting inspired yet again. The roast chicken was inspired by some of the newer shows that feature American cuisine influenced by flavors of India. The salad is just a very simple dish I actually make quite often. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Roast Chicken

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 3/4 lbs.)

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 whole red chile, minced

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cardamom

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into large cubes

1 cucumber, cut into large cubes

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence

Small sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

Leave the butter out in a dish at room temperature until it is fully pliable so you can work with it. Go ahead and make the dressing for the salad to allow the dried herbs to infuse. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Herbs de Provence, and sea salt in a sealable small bowl. Seal up, shake vigorously until fully combined, then place in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Once the butter is pliable, add the minced garlic, butter, all of the dried spices, and the salt and pepper to the bowl and use a large fork to mash and mix the ingredients into the butter. Coat a 9 x 13 porcelain baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts skin-up into the dish. Coat every breast equally with the spiced butter, using your fingers and the fork to get the butter underneath the skin to coat the flesh completely. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and place into the oven. Cook for 90 minutes. Take off the foil, coat the top of the chicken generously with the juices that have fallen off into the dish, and place back into the oven. Raise the temperature to 375 and cook for an additional 20 - 25 minutes to crisp the skin. Remove from the oven.

Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into cubes and mix together evenly. Serve the chopped vegetables directly onto your plates. Shake up the dressing you made earlier one more time before drizzling over the vegetables generously. Serve the chicken on the side. Bon appetit! :)

Makes 4 servings.