Bun – Vietnamese Noodles with Fresh Herbs

Bun – Vietnamese Noodles with Fresh Herbs

Serves eight

1 small cucumber, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

16 oz dried rice sticks (vermicelli)

1 bunch red leaf lettuce (or combination of mixed greens), shredded

½ c mung bean sprouts

1 bunch each of basil, cilantro, mint and oregano leaves, shredded

Juice of one lime

Fish sauce

Other additions:

Grilled pork or beef slices

Vietnamese fried spring rolls

Remove seeds from cucumber and julienne. Julienne carrot. Cook rice sticks in a pan of boiling water for3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water and drain again.

Pile noodles in a serving bowl with remaining ingredients. Add fish sauce to taste.

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Vietnamese Spring Rolls

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Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Clients regularly bring these yummy rolls in to my place of employment to express their thanks for services that they receive. It is one of the best perks of the job!

30 rice wrappers

vegetable oil for frying

1 bunch fresh mint

fish sauce

For the filling:

2 oz dried bean thread noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

1 oz dried woodear mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes

1 sweet potato, peeled and julienned

1 jicama, peeled and julienned

2 eggs

2 tsp fish sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp sugar

1 onion, finely chopped

3 spring onions, chopped

1 c minced ground pork

1 c minced prawns

salt and pepper

1.     Squeeze dry soaked noodles and chop them into small pieces. Squeeze dry soaked woodear mushroom and chop into small pieces.

3.     Beat eggs in a bowl. Stir in the fish sauce, garlic and sugar. Add the onion, green onion, noodles, mushrooms, sweet potato, jicama, pork and shrimp. Season generously with salt and pepper.

4.     Have ready a damp dish towel, some plastic wrap and a bowl of water.  Dip a rice wrapper in the bowl of water and place on damp cloth. Spoon about 1 T of filling into the side nearest you., just in from the edge.  Fold the nearest edge over the filling, fold over the sides., tucking them in neatly, and then roll the whole wrapper into a tight cylinder. Place the roll on a plate and cover with plastic wrap to keep it moist. Continue until all the filling and wrappers are used.

5.     Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep fryer. Make sure it is hot enough by dropping a piece of bread in the oil; it should foam, sizzle and turn brown. Cook the spring rolls in batches, turning them in the oil so they become golden all over. Drain them on a paper towel and serve immediately with fish sauce for dipping.

Pho

Pho

The secret to any great steaming bowl of pho is the broth made with different types of bones. Most cooks use any combo of beef, chicken, and pork bones. Par cooking the bones before making the broth removes solids and clarifies the broth so it is nice and clear. You can buy chopped up bones and seasoning packages that include the star anise and other spices in any Vietnamese grocery store. Generally, you cannot find chuck and brisket in small enough portions. I cut them in half and save them in the freezer for the next time I make pho.

For eight servings

For broth:

5-6 lb beef soup bones (shin, oxtail, leg bones)

1 small chicken or 1-2 lb of chicken neck bones

2 medium yellow onions

4-inch piece of ginger

1 lb chuck

1 lb brisket

3 cloves garlic

1 lb daikon radish, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

14 C water or more to cover bones

5 star anise

6 whole cloves

1 3-in cinnamon stick

4 T fish sauce

1 T salt

1-inch chunk of yellow rock sugar

1.     Put all meat and bones in stockpot and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 15 minutes. Dump water and meat into the sink (you can catch the bones in a colander). When cool enough to handle, rinse and scrub debris off of the bones and out of the cracks in the meat. Return to the cleaned pot with 14 cups of water.

2.     Add garlic, onion, ginger, daikon, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Put the last three in cheesecloth if you have it for easy removal.  Bring to a boil over high heat and when it starts to bubble turn to low and cook for at least 3 hours. If any remaining debris comes to the top, skim it off and discard. After 1 ½ hours remove chuck, brisket, and chicken. Cover meat with cool water to stop cooking and refrigerate. The cooked chicken can be used for another purpose.  

3.     After at least three hours (the longer the broth cooks with the bones the deeper the flavor), remove everything from the pot, leaving only the broth. Remove meat and tendons from the bones and keep with other meat to add to soup bowls. Discard the remainder. Strain broth through a fine sieve. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to deepen flavor and remove fat.

4.     Reheat and add fish sauce, salt and rock sugar to the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep broth warm so it is ready to assemble soup bowls.

In bowls:

1 lb raw lean meat sliced thin (sirloin or round)

1 sweet onion, sliced thin

4 green onions, chopped

thinly sliced cooked meat from above

8 C water

1 pkg pho noodles (fresh or dried) check number of servings on the package

8 C boiling water

1.     Have all of the above ready to go so you can assemble quickly.

2.     If using dried noodles, soak in cool water for about 15-20 minutes until opaque white. Drain. If using fresh noodles, rinse in a colander. 

3.     Blanch individual portions of noodles in boiling water for about 20-30 seconds in a long-handled strainer. Drain over boiling water. Place noodles in individual serving bowls. Filling bowls ¼ to 1/3 of the bowl with noodles.

4.     Place slices of cooked meat, raw meat, tendon, sweet onion, and green onion on the noodles.

5.     Cover with boiling beef broth. Serve to each individual.

Garnishes:

½ lb mung bean sprouts

sliced chili peppers (jalapeño or others)

Fresh Thai basil, cilantro, saw tooth plant, mint

Lime wedges

Roasted crushed peanuts

Let diners garnish their own bowls with any of the above.

Hoisin sauce and Sriracha – allow diners to mix their own combination of these sauces in little bowls on the side to dip the slices of meat taken from the soup bowl.

Aush - Afghan Bean, Herb, and Noodle Soup and a new CSA season!

It's the first week of our CSA. I'm so thrilled to be adding wonderfully fresh vegetables to my diet again. Our family always eats healthier when it is CSA season. I'm excited to make my first dish with the newest bounty.

It is cold and rainy today, a perfect day to make this delicious soup and to use some of my CSA greens!

Aush – Afghan Bean, Herb, and Noodle Soup

Aush is a noodle and bean soup topped with a spiced tomato –y ground meat mixture and large dollop of thick, creamy yogurt. The unique layering of flavors makes it extra special.

1 yellow onion

½ c grapeseed oil, divided

2 c cooked chickpeas (one 15 oz can rinsed and drained)

2 c cooked kidney beans (one 15 oz can rinsed and drained)

4 c frozen lima beans (1 16oz frozen bag)

½ c lentils

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 t ground turmeric

3 heaping T dried dill weed

1 heaping T dried mint

12 c chicken stock

sea salt

6 oz whole-wheat linguini noodles broken into thirds

3 c coarsely chopped mixed greens (kale, collards, spinach)

2 yellow onions

2 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 T tomato paste

2 T water

1 lb ground beef or lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ t ground coriander

2 T dried mint

1 ½ t paprika

1 t turmeric

1 t salt

1 t ground black pepper

¼ t ground red pepper

1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ c thick Greek yogurt

fresh mint, dill and/or cilantro for garnish, optional

Dice one of the onions. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add 1 T of oil. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, lentils, garlic, turmeric, dill, cilantro, and one T of mint. Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Decrease heat and simmer for one hour to blend flavors.

Slice the remaining two onions into thin half moons. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 5 T oil. Add the onions and panfry for about 10 minutes. Add ground meat and cook breaking it up into small pieces until no longer pink. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, water, garlic, mint, ground coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt, and black and red peppers. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture turns a deep rich red. Set aside.

30 minutes before serving, add greens to the bean soup. 10 minutes before serving (or according to package directions) add linguini to the soup. Add lemon juice and adjust seasonings.

In large serving bowls, ladle in noodle soup. Spoon tomato/meat mixture over the broth, top with yogurt, and garnish with fresh herbs.

Spring Onion and Chive Egg Rice

OMG!

This is the easiest dinner in your life.  Our chives and green onions are up. Go outside and slice the tops off of a few of yours (leave the roots in the ground so the harvest can continue).

5 c hot brown rice
5 eggs cooked your favorite way (we've done poached and fried but you HAVE to have a soft yolk)
1 c minced tops of chives and spring green onions
5 T gochujang (optional)
5 T sesame seeds
5 T sesame oil
5 t soy sauce
5 t rice vinegar
sprinkle of brewer's yeast (optional)

Distribute ingredients between 5 serving bowls. Let each person mix her own. Enjoy!

Beoseot Jeongol (Korean Mushroom Hotpot)

Beoseot Jeongol (Korean Mushroom Hotpot)

This is one of my favorite dishes. Jeongol pans are similar in appearance to paella pans – anything wide and deep will do. Hotpots are generally cooked on a burner on the table while everyone gathers round watching it simmer. If you don’t have a burner for your table, you can just as easily cook it on your stovetop and move it to the table for serving. The broth is the star of this dish. You want to make it multidimensional with lots of umami flavor.

Broth (enough for 2 hotpots):

2 c dried shitake mushroom (or equivalent amount of several dried varieties)

4 c boiling water

2 -2”pieces of kombu (dried kelp)

6  lg dried anchovies

4 c water

½ T salt

Rinse dried mushrooms to remove grit and place in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and put a weighted plate on top to keep mushrooms submerged, until mushrooms are fully rehydrated for around 1 hour. Reserve liquid for broth and slice mushrooms (remove hard stems) for the hot pot.

Put remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove and discard anchovies and kombu. Combine with mushroom liquid and keep at a low simmer.

Bulgogi:

1 lb of thinly sliced beef (bulgogi style) such as flank steak

½ onion, sliced

3 green onions, split and sliced in 2” pieces including green and white parts

5 T soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

2 T sesame seeds

1½ T sugar in the raw

2 T minced garlic

1 T minced ginger

½ t black pepper

Combine and set aside for a least 1 hour.

Make Two HotPots (one with beef and one without):

Ingredients for one hotpot

2 -3 lb fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (oyster, king oysters, enoki, brown, shitake, etc.)

rehydrated mushrooms, sliced

bulgogi

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch green onion, split and sliced in 2” pieces including green and white parts

1 block tofu, sliced

watercress, chopped (optional)

1 T Korean red pepper flakes (gochu karu), optional

½ c soy sauce

1 T black vinegar

1 T sesame oil

In large wide jeongol pan, lightly coat with oil and arrange vegetables and beef. Reserve a few green onion tops for adding at the end.  Put a mound of raw bulgogi in the center (omit in the vegetarian pot) and arrange mushrooms, onions and green onions in little stacks all around it. Here is an example below:

Add slices of tofu on top of the other ingredients. Sprinkle generously with black pepper. Heat pan over medium for about 5 minutes, until fresh mushrooms release their liquid. Add warm broth until vegetables are just covered. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer until beef and vegetables are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add soy sauce and black vinegar.  Taste broth and adjust seasoning if necessary. As it cooks, stir it around. Sprinkle with watercress and a few reserved green onion tops. Add enoki mushrooms if using and cook until wilted about 1 minute. Add 1 T sesame oil.

Serve with steamed rice.

Continue adding additional broth as necessary as people serve themselves from the pot.

Shakshouka - Tunisian Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

Shakshouka - Tunisian Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

I just tried these eggs for the first time today when I found the recipe on the PBS website.  This recipe is a keeper. What a great cheap meal and so delicious! It will be a great way to use our CSA tomatoes in July. You should give yourself the freedom to try it with different herbs as well. I think some oregano and basil would be nice, too.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• About 8 tomatoes, preferably roma paste tomatoes but any will do (or about 2 x 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes)
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground caraway
• 2 tsp paprika (can be smoked paprika for added flavor)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, or add more if you like it spicy)
• 1/2 tsp salt (more, to taste)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 large pasture-raised eggs
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Directions

1. Place a large skillet on medium heat and sauté the chopped onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the chopped garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add all the spices, stir, and cook for another minute.
2. Chop the tomatoes (preferably removing the seeds) and add them into the skillet, cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken. If the sauce if too thick, add about 1/4 cup of water, stir, and cook for another couple minutes. You don't want your sauce to be too thick, so that the eggs will poach well. On the other hand, you don't want it to be too liquidey or the flavors will be diluted. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if needed.
3. Once your sauce is just right, carefully crack the 4 eggs on top of the sauce, leaving a space between each one. (If there's room, you might be able to fit an additional 2 or 3 eggs into the sauce). Put a lid on the skillet, and allow the eggs to cook for about 5 minutes, checking them often so that the yolk reaches the state that you prefer. (In Tunisia, the yolk is usually soft, but if you prefer a cooked yolk, simply cook it a bit longer).
4. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped parsley on top of the eggs. Serve hot, with a good slice of bread to soak up all the delicious tomato sauce.