Pho

Sure, my family has some great cooks, but I was raised by baby-boomer parents in a home where we had such delicacies as hot dog curly-cues (fondly remembered here) and meatloaf.  And let's not forget that weekly meal our mother liked to call fend-for-yourself.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not disparaging my mom's cooking.  She cooked one mean pot roast.  I'm just saying that, growing up, I didn't have many opportunities to sample the cuisine of other cultures.  So, as I've grown out of my childhood fear of unknown foods, I have been joyously surprised to find some of my favorite dishes outside of the scope of American standard fare.

Pho is definitely one of those dishes.  My first bowl of pho was from Pho Bac on Buford Highway.  Maybe not the best pho kitchen around, but I still fell in love.  I felt it was the perfect dish.  It is warming on a cold day, light and fulfilling on a hot day.  The flavor of the broth is rich and complex and balanced by the bright flavors of fresh herbs and mung beans and sliced chiles served in a heap on the side.  I had no idea what gave the broth it's flavor or how I might even begin to replicate the dish.  Recipes I found online just didn't even look like they would add up to what I had tasted.  I now know this is because most pho is a beef soup flavored with spices such as star anise, nothing like what I had had at Pho Bac.  So, I was really excited when I saw Roger Mooking cook it up on Cooking Channel one day.  He didn't even call it pho on the show, but when I saw the show, I new that what he was cooking would add up to what I was looking for.  I've used his recipe ever since, with some minor changes, and it always comes out perfectly.  It takes some time to make, but man is it ever worth it!  You can use a whole chicken or, if you're only serving a few, you can just use one full breast section (2 breasts with sternum) and a chicken back and neck (the bones will flavor the stock and the breasts are for eatin'!)

Pho

1 2-3 lb chicken (or see above)

2 carrots, halved lengthwise

1 onion, quartered

1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised

3/4 lb shitake mushrooms

1 bunch thai basil

1 T. fresh ginger, smashed

2 limes

1 T. black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 red thai chiles (or any small chile)

1/4 C. fish sauce

1 T. sugar

mung bean sprouts

1/2 lb rice noodles 

Throw in a large stock pot (at least 6 quart) the shitake stems, onion, carrots, lemongrass, peppercorns, bay leaves, ginger, zest of one lime, 4 basil stems, and 1 chile (sliced open lengthwise).  Now place your chicken on top of all this goodness and add water until everything is covered.

 

Bring to a boil and reduce to a very low simmer.  Simmer until the chicken comes up to temperature, skimming the impurities as they rise to the top.  This step, also known as depouillage, is one of the most important steps in any stock, broth or sauce, so don't skip it!  Remember to stick a thermometer in your bird occasionally to make sure you're not over-cooking it.  

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the broth, allowing the broth to continue to simmer.  Once the chicken cools, pull the meat from the bone and put the bones back into the pot.  Simmer for another hour or so.  The longer it cooks, the more flavor.  Go all day, if you like.

Cook the rice noodles in boiling, salted water until just tender.  Drain and set aside.

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Strain the broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth and place it back into the rinsed pot.  Turn on low heat.  Add salt to taste, fish sauce, sugar and the juice of your zested lime.

Now take the amount of chicken that you will be using in the soup and slice the shitake tops.  Place the chicken and the shitakes in the broth to warm, just until the shitakes are tender.

To serve, place some noodles in your bowls then proportion out the chicken and shitakes equally to each bowl.  Now ladle the broth over it.  Serve with a plate of basil leaves, lime wedges, sliced chiles and mung bean sprouts.

Enjoy! 

ode to the tomato

tomato photos by Liz Nance from The Grove Community Garden

 Yes, I realize that it is February and that there is not a vine-ripened tomato in sight, but that is exactly why I am writing this post.  Tomatoes are one of my favorite things about summertime, and one of  the only reasons that I would long for the return of the dog days in Georgia.  In the summer around here, everyone and their brother has some tomatoes growing in the yard, and you never have to look far for a juicy cherokee purple or a big red, even if you don't have your own garden.  The taste of a freshly picked, still warm from the sun, sliced tomato with a little pinch of salt reminds me of being at my great grandmother's house in Madison, watching the hummingbirds from the window at the kitchen table.  That salty acidity that you get in a home grown tomato is simply not to be found in store bought tomatoes.  I even love the smell of the leaves, and I never pass a tomato plant without rubbing a leaf between my fingers and sniffing.

Granted, the best way to enjoy a good tomato is on a tomato sandwich with sunbeam white bread, mayo, salt and pepper.  But here are some other of my favorite recipes to keep in mind when summer returns and brings with it an abundance of that wonderful fruit, the tomato.  Please do not attempt these recipes with those pink, flavorless, perfectly round things that you find at the grocer this time of year.

Tomato Pie

Cherokee purples or another salty & acidic variety of tomatoes would be best for this recipe.  Last year I made it with  a bunch of late season tomatoes that my neighbor gave me.

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into little cubes

1 cup manchego cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 1/4 lbs tomatoes

 8 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded or cubed

 1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

balsamic vinegar for drizzling

kosher salt & pepper

For the crust, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and 1/4 cup manchego cheese; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-sized bits of butter.  Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough comes together.  Add more ice water if needed.  Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Roll the dough out to about a 13" round and transfer to a 9 1/2" pie pan.  Crimp the edges and poke holes in the bottom with a fork.  Refrigerate again for about 20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.

Line the crust with foil and cover the bottom with dried beans.  Bake until edges are golden.  Remove foil and beans and bake until golden all over.  Let cool.

For the filling, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan.  Add the onion and cook on very low heat.  Cook, stirring continuously, until the onion is caramelized (about 30 minutes).  Let cool.  Thinly slice tomatoes & toss with about 1 teaspoon salt in a colander.  Let drain for about 10 minutes.  Combine the remaining manchego cheese, mozzarella, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of each herb, salt and pepper and caramelized onion. 

Spread this mixture into the crust.  Arrange tomatoes on top.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until tomatoes start to brown.  Before serving, top with remaining herbs and drizzle with a scant amount of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

Cornbread Salad

Southern tradition right here!

2 cups fine cornmeal such as

1egg

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder

buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter

1 large tomato, sliced (or 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes)

1 largish cucumber, sliced

1 small red onion sliced (or 2 shallots)

1 green onion, finely sliced

enough fresh parsley or thyme for garnish

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 olive oil

cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

For the cornbread, preheat oven to 500.  Mix together the cornmeal, baking soda and baking powder.  Add the egg, about 1 tablespoon of cooled, melted butter and about 1 cup of buttermilk.  Mix and continue to add buttermilk until the mixture has the consistency almost of pancake batter, about 2 1/2 cups.  Use the remaining butter to grease your best seasoned cast iron skillet.  Pour in the batter and place in the oven.  Reduce the oven temperature to 425, and cook until top is golden brown.

While the cornbread is cooking, combine tomatoes, cucumber and onion (red and green).  Toss with enough oil and vinegar to heavily coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, crumble cornbread in a bowl.  Spoon over the tomato mixture, then pour about 1/4 cup buttermilk over everything.  Garnish with herbs and additional freshly ground black pepper. 

Now, go slap yo mama!