Beef Pho

I love pho, and even thought there are two Vietnamese restaurants within 5 minutes of my house, it's really nice to be able to make at home on a chilly night.   I went a little overboard and made my own bone broth, but you can easily start with pre-made broth. Broth can also easily be made ahead of time and/or frozen. 

Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients or steps. As long as the broth is ready, I can put this together in less than 30 minutes.

Beef Pho

Ingredients:

The Broth:

• 3-4 pounds of beef bones
• 4-6 quarts of water
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 4 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 pods star anise
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
• 2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

The Soup:

• Medium rice noodles (about 1/4 inch wide, not vermicelli or wide noodles)
• 1 to 1 ½ pounds very, thinly sliced steak (such as top sirloin, flank, London broil)

Garnishes:

• Fresh Bean Sprouts
• Fresh herbs such as: Thai Basil. Cilantro, Parsley, Fresh Mint
• Lime Wedges
• Jalapeño slices
• Chopped green onion

Condiments:

• Chile-garlic sauce, such as Sriracha 
• Hoisin sauce

Instructions:

Broth (see Note 1)

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
• Place beef bones on a baking sheet and roast until browned, 30-60 minutes.
• Place onion and ginger on a baking sheet on highest rack in your oven and char on each side until blackened and soft.
• Put roasted beef bones and water in a stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer on low from 24-48 hours. The longer you can cook it the more depth and flavor your broth will have. 
• For the last 6 to 8 hours, add the roasted onion and ginger and spices to flavor the broth. I simmered mine for 18 hours and then added the onions and spices for an additional 8 hours. 
• Strain the broth into a pan and set aside  (See Note 2).
• You can freeze any extra broth for future use.

Soup:

• Cook noodles according to instructions drain, and divide into bowls. 
• Top the noodles with the raw beef slices top with the hot broth. Stir and let sit until beef is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes (See Note 3).
• Set a plate at the table so individuals can add the bean sprouts, the fresh herbs, lime wedges, and sliced jalapenos as they desire. Also provide sriracha and/or hoisin sauce. (See Note 4).

Notes: 

1. If you don't want to make your own broth you can always use 6 cups store-bought beef broth (or chicken or veggie, if you prefer) and add the charred vegetables and spices and simmer for at least one hour, or in a crockpot for 3-4 hours or more.
2. If there is a lot of marrow your broth may be greasy. You may want to cool the broth before serving and remove the hardened fat from the top.
3. For variety, I often add fresh broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. You can place bite-size pieces on top of the beef before you pour over the broth. 
4. This dish should be served with the bean sprouts, herbs, and lime. To me, the are definitely key to the experience. The rest are optional and to taste. I add all listed, because I like mine spicy!

Chicken and Dumplings

The temperatures are falling and and the days are getting shorter. It's comfort food season and what is more cozy and comforting than chicken and dumplings?

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt and pepper to season chicken thighs
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 ribs celery, trimmed and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

For the dumplings (Note 1):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup cold buttermilk

Instructions:

• Place oil in a heavy bottom soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. 
• Brown the chicken in batches, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside (Note 2). 
• Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme to the pot. Stir and saute until the onions are cooked through and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot. Add the bay leaf and chicken stock.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked. While soup is simmering, you can prepare the dumpling dough.
•  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, thyme, and pepper. Add the butter and use your fingers to break it down into the flour mixture creating small flecks of butter throughout the mixture. Add the beaten egg and buttermilk and stir until just combined. Try not to over-stir the dumpling dough.
• When the vegetables in the soup are cooked through. Remove the chicken and chop and shred it into bite size pieces. Return the chicken to the pan.
• Bring the soup to a light simmer, stir in the fresh parsley, and season to taste.
• Then, using a spoon to gently dollop about 2 tablespoons of dough into the soup.
• The dumplings may sink, but will rise to the surface as they cook. Add all of the dumplings.
• Cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until dumplings are cooked through. 
• Remove from heat and serve warm!

Notes:

1. Or you can just cheat and use refrigerator or frozen biscuits. Cut 5 biscuits into quarters and drop into the hot soup as directed. 
2. Chicken won't be fully cooked through at this point, but it will cook through while simmering.