I used to hate tomato soup. I had it once as a kid and never could understand why it was so sweet and completely unlike any tomato I’d ever had and so I always avoided it. A few years back I decided to create a soup that imbued everything I love about tomatoes topped with [...]]]>

I used to hate tomato soup. I had it once as a kid and never could understand why it was so sweet and completely unlike any tomato I’d ever had and so I always avoided it. A few years back I decided to create a soup that imbued everything I love about tomatoes topped with a little bacon for fun.

First, the tomatoes have to be roasted. The way the flavor of a tomato sweetens as it condenses it truly one of the more beautiful things to happen in a kitchen. Second, the soup needs texture, none of this homogenized liquid, lacking all character and identity. You must know that you are eating a tomato. Third, no sweetener. Occasionally, a touch of brown sugar works to quiet the acidity of a soup, but the canned soup machine takes it to the extreme with their fructose laden liquid. I wanted the natural sweetness brought about by roasting and further coaxed along by the sweetness of well browned onions.

This recipe is incredibly simple and really doesn’t take a whole lot of effort on your part, but it does require a food mill. If you don’t have one then you will need to peel and seed the tomatoes, just be sure to keep all of that lovely juice to add to the soup. I am eating this soup tonight as a first course to a dinner of summer truffle gnocchi (recipe to come another time) and a lovely salad of greens, but you can just as easily serve it alongside your favorite grilled cheese or even with some slices of toasted baguette. However you choose to have it, I hope you enjoy my recipe.

Roasted Tomato and Bacon Soup

14 Medium Sized Tomatoes, I used San Marzano, sliced in  half

Olive Oil

4 Strips Bacon, chopped

1/2 Yellow Onion, small dice

1 Garlic Clove, minced

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

2-4 Basil Leaves, sliced in a chiffonade

Place the sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast at 375F for 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, run through a food mill and set aside.

Sauté the chopped bacon in a medium sized pot and remove (with care) when it is nice and crisp. Add in the onions and saute in the rendered bacon fat until evenly browned. Deglaze the pan with a ladle full of tomato and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan before adding the rest of the tomato. Season with sea salt, pepper and stir in the basil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Ladle into a bowl and top with some of the crispy bacon and enjoy!

Serves 2-6 depending on the size of your desired serving.

Note: Instead of tossing all of the excess tomato skin and seeds, try drying it and grinding it into a powder for an interesting garnish.

You may recall that in early January I wrote about a community olive pressing at The Olive Press in Sonoma. It was a marvelous place and I have been enjoying their Sevillano olive oil at home ever since. A few weeks ago I saw a tweet from Gabi the, blogger for The Olive Press, asking [...]]]>

You may recall that in early January I wrote about a community olive pressing at The Olive Press in Sonoma. It was a marvelous place and I have been enjoying their Sevillano olive oil at home ever since. A few weeks ago I saw a tweet from Gabi the, blogger for The Olive Press, asking if anyone would be interested in taking part in a contest. They would send four bottles of olive oil for you to come up with a four course olive oil centric meal. The winner would receive a rather hefty supply of their delicious oils.  Um . . . yeah, I was interested.

A week or so later I received a box containing their Italian Blend, Arbequina varietal, Mission Blend and the Blood Orange Olive Oil.

I decided to go simple. When I have really good, fresh local ingredients a part of me tends to switch gears. I believe that the more simple the preparation the better in order to highlight the lovely ingredients. Since we’ve reached that point in the year when the food of winter hasn’t completely faded and the bounty of spring has just begun to make an appearance, I’ve prepared a lunch blending the two seasons. I hope you enjoy my menu.

Wish me luck!

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Blood Orange Olive Oil Dressing

I love this salad, it is fresh, smoky and just plain gorgeous. The Blood Orange Olive Oil is amazing, I want to do laps in it. The citrus is just so bright and lovely in this salad it is like a little bit of spring in a bowl.

A drizzle plain Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Asparagus Bunch, washed and trimmed

4 cups Assorted Greens and Micro Greens, washed and dried

2 Blood Oranges, skin and pith removed with a knife and cut into sections

1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted

A few good glugs Blood Orange Olive Oil

2 Sprigs of Thyme, leaves removed

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Blood Orange Zest, to garnish

Toss the asparagus with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the asparagus over a hot grill and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. They should look as though they have just begun to shrivel when they are ready. Remove the asparagus from the grill, cool, then chop on a bias into 3/4 inch pieces.

Toss the cooled asparagus with the greens and orange sections, dress with the oil and season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper.

Note: I didn’t include it in the recipe because I didn’t want to over chevre the menu, but I do think a bit of chevre would be spectacular in this.

Italian Blend Olive Oil Cannelini Bean Veloute

Keeping with the theme of simplicity, I had to include a variation on the famous Tuscan white bean dish which is the ultimate canvas upon which to display a gorgeous olive oil. Since it is lunch, I turned it into a soup and added a wintry touch by steeping a parmesan rind in the simmering soup. I wanted a more forceful oil for this soup so I used the Italian blend. Something more mild like the Arbequina would have simply been lost among the creamy saltiness of the rich soup.

1/4 cup Italian Blend Olive Oil + a few extra glugs to garnish

6 Garlic Cloves, minced

4 cups Cannelini Beans, cooked

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 Small Heel of Parmesan

1 Bay Leaf

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper

Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add the garlic. Allow the garlic to saute a little bit before adding the beans. Cook the beans for a few minutes before adding in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for an hour or two over medium-low heat with the lid on before using tongs to remove the parm heel and carefully pureeing the soup. Don’t burn yourself. Keep warm until serving.

At serving time, ladle into a bowl and dress with the olive oil.

Simple Prosciutto and Chevre Tartines with Arbequina Olive Oil

When I make lunch for a lazy afternoon with friends there is generally some sort of tartine involved. I love to set out a platter with all sorts of wonderful ingredients for topping lovely slices toasted bread. I change the ingredients often serving everything from olive oil packed tuna to a lovely serrano ham, but one thing always makes an appearance, the olive oil.

Naturally, I brush the bread down with oil before toasting, but there is nothing more lush than drizzling some really wonderful olive oil. I love biting into a tartine just dripping with olive oil, it makes even the simplest tartine feel incredibly decadent. I chose the Arbequina for it’s peppery quality, which I believe pairs amazingly with prosciutto and the pepped chevre and the smattering of herbs.

1 Loaf Good Hearty Bread (I used a pain levain), sliced and toasted

4-6 ounces Chevre, at room temp

Freshly Ground Pepper

6 ounces Prosciutto, at room temp

1/4 to 1/2 cup Your Favorite Herbs (I used thyme and flat leafed parsley)

Spread the chevre over the toasted bread and sprinkle with pepper. Arrange the prosciutto over it, sprinkle with herbs and drizzle with olive oil.

Note: Use your favorite chevre, but I recommend Laura Chenel. The odd thing is, I don’t even normally like Laura Chenel chevre, but I love it with dry cured hams.

Mission Olive Oil and Toasted Almond Polenta Cake with a Mission Olive Oil Honey Drizzle

I have a feeling this recipe might leave a few of you scratching your heads, wondering why I would use good olive oil for baking. After all, oil just adds moisture to cakes, you’re not supposed to taste it, right? To answer my own question, yeah, most often that is correct but my baking instinct has been formed through the eyes of one who loves savory and I want to know it is there. I used the Mission Olive Oil for this recipe because of its natural buttery decadence, it is so rich and luxurious which made it a natural fit. I resisted the urge to add almond flavoring and instead relied on the glory of toasted almonds. This cake is not too sweet and with the olive oil and polenta this cake has a very rustic Italian feel to it and an extract would have taken it out of that rustic realm.

1/2 cup Mission Olive Oil

1 cup Sugar

3 Eggs

3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Cornmeal

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Sliced Almonds, toasted + more to sprinkle on at serving time

Preheat your oven to 325F and line a round cake pan with parchment paper and oil the sides.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to distribute the ingredients.

In the bowl of your mixer combine the olive oil and sugar and blend until it is a light yellow color. Add in the eggs one at a time incorporating each one completely before adding the next.

Add in the dry ingredients and the milk a little at a time alternating between the two beginning and ending with flour. Stir in the toasted almonds. Pour into the pan and place in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or whenever the toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to check it periodically the top tends to brown quite fast so you may want to make a little foil tent for the top to slow it down a bit.

Cool the cake for at least 10 minutes before un-molding. Serve sliced with a drizzle of the olive oil honey topping, a sprinkle of toasted almonds and a sprig of thyme.

The Topping

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Mission Olive Oil

1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves

Combine the ingredients in a small sauce pan and warm over low heat. It should not be very hot.

I can’t reiterate this enough, be careful with the topping, it can be as hot as lava and as sticky as napalm. Warm it gently, you do not want to burn your guests (I hope) or yourself.

Sorry about the gap in posting, my sis was here and I just didn’t have time. I will be posting a four course olive oil themed lunch on Tuesday the 8th for a contest through The Olive Press, so check back [...]]]>

Sorry about the gap in posting, my sis was here and I just didn’t have time. I will be posting a four course olive oil themed lunch on Tuesday the 8th for a contest through The Olive Press, so check back for more!

Earlier this week issue 10 of Mutineer Magazine hit the newsstands and my column was introduced to the world. I am very excited. My column (eek!) is an exploration of cooking with various beverages beginning with this piece “Cooking with Absinthe”. I choose a beverage, research the different nuances and complimentary ingredients and then I get to play mad scientist in the kitchen. It is an incredible amount of fun.

Here is one recipe that I came up with for the piece, but there wasn’t enough room so here it is for your culinary pleasure. This fennel soup is a natural combination. It is savory, smooth, refreshing and perfect. I hope you enjoy it.

If you are interested, check out the latest issue of Mutineer for my recipes for Absinthe Cupcakes and Absinthe and Orange Baked Olives and the incredibly delicious Absinthe Seafood Fettucini.

P.S. This is also the debut of Phil’s food photography in the mag as well!

Absinthe and Fennel Soup

4 Bacon Strips, chopped

2 TBS Butter

2 Fennel Bulbs, ends trimmed, sliced very thin and fronds reserved for a garnish

2 Onions, sliced very thin

1/2 cup Absinthe

3 cups Chicken Stock

1/4 tsp Sea Salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper, or to taste

Fennel Fronds, to garnish

1). In a large skillet, cook the chopped bacon until nice and brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain for later use.

2). Carefully spoon all but about 1 TBS of the bacon fat out of the skillet, add in the butter and melt over medium-low heat.

3). Add in the sliced onions, fennel and salt and cook until translucent. Do not brown.

4). When the onions and fennel are translucent, turn the heat up to medium and deglaze the pan by pouring in the absinthe and loosening anything stuck to the bottom with a spoon.

5). Add half of the stock cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the onions and fennel are soft.

6). Using a ladle, remove the mixture to a blender and puree until very smooth. Be very careful not to burn yourself when doing this.

7). Pour the mixture into a soup pan; add in the remaining stock and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

8). To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with the chopped bacon and a fennel

Earlier in the fall Jen over at Modern Beet* posted a recipe for split pea soup, but I never got around to making it. I blame her for planting the seed in my head. Then later in England, my friend Leslie and I made the mistake of grocery shopping while incredibly hungry. I saw a [...]]]>

Earlier in the fall Jen over at Modern Beet* posted a recipe for split pea soup, but I never got around to making it. I blame her for planting the seed in my head. Then later in England, my friend Leslie and I made the mistake of grocery shopping while incredibly hungry. I saw a can of split pea soup and had to have it. We rushed home to make our respective soups and while Leslie had a yummy roasted pepper soup, for me there would be no joy in Mudville.  I wound up with an overly salty bowl of gruel that tasted like a disgusting potato. I hate to admit my wastefulness, but it ended up down the sink.

So today I found myself not only with leftover ham from a recipe I am working on for Mutineer, but with stock from the ham bone and split peas in the cupboard. To top it all off today is the one day a year I make my favorite sandwich. It would appear the stars have aligned in my favor. I seasoned my soup with smoked salt, pepper and gave it just of depth by browning the onions and deglazing with white wine. The result is a rich, creamy and comforting soup, that to me, tastes absolutely perfect.

My sandwich is something that anyone making a turkey dinner with all or most of the trimmings can make. I’m sure it is pretty obvious where this is going, but if not definitely read on, you may get a good idea. I toss some shredded turkey in a bit of leftover gravy, not too much it shouldn’t be gloppy and layer it with toasted bread. If that weren’t enough I add leftover stuffing to the mix and serve it with a little cranberry sauce for dipping. Wow. Reading that, it’s probably a good thing I only eat this once a year. Barney is getting a long walk tonight.

Split Pea Soup

2 TBS Unsalted Butter

1/4 to 1/2 tsp Smoked or regular Sea Salt (I used Salish)

1 medium Onion

16 oz. Green Split Peas, picked through and rinsed

A Healthy Splash of White Wine

7-8 cups Ham Stock, warm

2 cups Leftover Ham, shred or diced

In a large pot, melt your butter over medium heat and add the onions. Brown the onions well and deglaze your pan with white wine, loosening any yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add all of the split peas, except 1/2 cup and stir. Add in the stock and bring to a boil. The cover and reduce the heat to medium low to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Using a blender or immersion blender, carefully blend your soup until smooth, then add in the reserved split peas to mix up the texture a little. Simmer for 15 minutes or so before adding in the ham and simmering 10 minutes or so more before serving.

For serving, ladle into your favorite bowl, make your favorite sandwich and allow a feeling of contentment to wash over you.

*Modern Beet is one of my favorite blogs. Jen is a fearless cook who makes homemade tempeh one day and braises pork belly the next. If you haven’t already, check it out.

In cooking, I am constantly trying to grow and change the way I see food. My feeling is that if you just cook the same thing over and over with no change, the dish looses it’s luster. Instead of the same old soup, deconstruct it. Make that soup into a salad, mixed grill or even [...]]]>  

In cooking, I am constantly trying to grow and change the way I see food. My feeling is that if you just cook the same thing over and over with no change, the dish looses it’s luster. Instead of the same old soup, deconstruct it. Make that soup into a salad, mixed grill or even a dessert.

I have always been intrigued by how one can make several very different dishes using the same ingredients (aside from one tiny addition), by merely changing the method of preparation and proportion. Take prosciutto and melon for instance, you can wrap prosciutto around the fresh melon, make my crispy melon cups or a melon soup with bits of crispy prosciutto sprinkled liberally over the surface. Caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly.

A few summers ago I started messing around with raw zucchini and found that it’s delicate flavor paired quite happily with pear. Through the addition of chevre, honey an balsamic vinegar a roulade was born. I served the roulade on top of dense, thinly sliced and toasted 12 grain bread for a delicious appetizer.  After making the roulade, the gears in my head began to turn and I imagined all of possibilities, three of which I am going to share with you today.

The first version I am going to share is a light salad that is fresh, quick and simple enough for those busy weeknights. Second is the roulade, a creamier incarnation meant to be served as an appetizer. The roulade is a little more fussy, but not bad and relatively quick to assemble. The third adaptation is a delicate soup that is a true test of the ingredient metamorphosis. This soup awakens your palate to the inherent juiciness of a pear while at the same time letting the zucchini thrive.

I hope you enjoy my recipes and that they inspire you to take a look at an old recipe and create something new, but familiar. If this is something you have already done, I’d love it if you shared your experience with me.

Pear and Zucchini Salad

Splash olive oil

1-2 Shallots, thinly sliced

1 Bosc or red pear, sliced very thin using a mandoline (if you don’t have one that’s okay a knife will be fine)

2 Smallish zucchini, sliced very thin using a mandoline (again,  it’s okay)

1 ounce chevre, crumbled

1 1/2 TBS Honey

1 TBS Balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle of freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan and caramelize the shallots over medium low heat and cool.

In your salad bowl whisk the honey and balsamic vinegar together. Add in the zucchini, pear pepper and shallots. Toss to coat with the dressing. I recommend using your hands for this as the zucchini tends to stick together and this helps ensure proper coverage. Top with the crumbled chevre and serve.

Note: Pears brown like mad, so I recommend giving them a spritz with lemon water.

Zucchini and Pear Roulade

2 smallish zucchini, sliced using a mandoline set to one of the thinner settings, two outer slices eaten for a snack

1/2  Bosc or red pear, sliced on the thinnest mandoline setting

1 TBS olive oil

2 small shallots sliced thinly

4 ounces Chevre, at room temperature

2 TBS Well aged or reduced balsamic vinegar

1 TBS Honey

1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 loaf incredibly dense 12 grain bread, cut into very thin slices, then halved or quartered and toasted

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan and caramelize the shallots over medium low heat and allow to cool. Blend together the chevre, shallots, honey, balsamic, and pepper

On a piece of plastic wrap, lay out your zucchini slices lengthwise in front of you, overlapping them by about halfway. Gently spread most of the cheese mixture over the zucchini, making sure not to disrupt the aligned zucchini and stopping a few inches away from the end furthest from you. Top with the pear, again stopping a few inches away from the end furthest from you. Top with the remaining cheese mixture.

Hold the plastic wrap on the side of the roulade nearest to you and begin to roll your roulade up as tightly as possible. You will need to get your fingers into it. When it is rolled, wrap it tightly with the plastic wrap to ensure it holds it’s shape and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. The roulade will flatten on one side, but that is easily remedied before serving. Slice and place on top of your little toasts and your ready to dazzle your guests.

Note: The longer it sets, the more water will be released, you may want to pat it down with a towel before serving.

Pear and Zucchini Soup* (my fave)

4 Zucchini, roasted whole until soft (about 20-25 minutes @375F) and cooled

2 Bosc or Red Pears, roasted whole until soft (20 minutes @375F) and cooled

Splash of olive oil

4 to 5 Shallots depending in the size, sliced thinly

1 TBS Honey

1 TBS Aged balsamic vinegar

A sprinkle of freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

Whole Grain bread

Chevre

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan and caramelize the shallots over medium low heat.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and remove the core from the pears. Give them a rough chop and add the to the blender and pulse. Add in the shallots, honey, balsamic and half of the stock and blend until very smooth, adding more stock as you go along. Sieve the smooth soup into a pan and simmer, making sure not to boil.

Slice your bread into large croutons, place on a greased baking sheet, top with chevre and broil until the cheese begins to brown. Spoon the soup into a bowl and serve with a chevre crouton either on the side or floating on top.

Note: If you are not up to all the sieving, peel the zucchini and pear before blending. The texture will not be as silky and the color will be different, but it will still make a lovely soup.

You may be wondering why none of these recipes contain salt and the answer is simple. The roulade has a large quantity of chevre which contains salt and I did not feel it required more. You could add a sprinkle to the salad if you wish, but it will release a large quantity of water into the dressing. As for the soup, again add it if you wish, but please try it sans salt at first. I felt the roasting intensified the flavors enough and retained the delicate flavor I was going for.

When I bought the beets for this dish, I actually had no intention of making soup at all. Phil had requested my roasted beet salad for dinner and I guess I went a tad overboard at the produce stand because I ended up bringing home two bunches. I just couldn’t resist those little, orange, light [...]]]>

When I bought the beets for this dish, I actually had no intention of making soup at all. Phil had requested my roasted beet salad for dinner and I guess I went a tad overboard at the produce stand because I ended up bringing home two bunches. I just couldn’t resist those little, orange, light filled beacons calling to me from atop a mountain of brown and seemingly colorless root vegetables.

During the summer, I try to do things like roasting in the morning and usually  roast things that I can use cold throughout the week so I don’t have to heat up the kitchen more than is necessary. I decided to add the excess beets to a pan of Yukon Gold potatoes I was roasting for another dish. When they were done, I had four perfectly roasted beets; but what was I going to do with them? Why, make soup of course.

While I was at the market I had also picked up a lovely bunch of local spring onions that were sitting in my fridge waiting for a purpose. What better purpose than as a layer of subtle flavor for this soup. So I sweat the onions in a bit of olive oil adding a touch of salt and de-glazed the pan with the last bit of a bottle of sauvignon blanc I had leftover from our bivalve bonanza* the night before. I blended the onions together with the cold beets, some stock, fleur de sel, cracked pepper and an ingredient I have been using a lot of lately, dill.

I learned something important on my first taste: you really can have too many beets. It was a problem that was easily remedied with one of those Yukon Golds I had roasted for another purpose, still in the fridge waiting for a turn a bat. I peeled and sliced the potato and added it to the blender and lo, there it was; the flavor I was after.

The result was a radiant, eye catching soup that is quite lovely finished with a good dollop of Greek yogurt. The flavor is sweet, refreshing and herbal with a bit of tang from the yogurt. This dish would pair nicely with seafood.

Chilled Yellow Beet Soup

4 Medium Yellow beets, roasted whole, cooled, peeled and sliced
1 Yukon gold potato, roasted whole, cooled, peeled and sliced
1-2 TBS olive oil
2 Spring onions, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups** low sodium chicken or veggie stock
Fleur de sel or kosher salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
3 tsp Dill
Greek yogurt to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the spring onions. When they begin to take on a little color de-glaze the pan with the white wine, remove from heat and allow to cool

Combine the sliced beets, potato, onions and 1/2 the cold stock together in the blender and pulse. After the beets and potatoes have been chopped up a bit, add the rest of the stock, salt, pepper and dill and pulse until smooth. Chill until serving time.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Greek yogurt and a sprig of dill.

*We ate clams steamed in sauvignon blanc . . . a lot of them.

**I miade this soup a bit thick, but if you want something a little thinner add extra stock.

Sitting down to an over-sized bowl filled with crunchy vegetables, paper thin beef, rice noodles and creamy tofu all swimming in hot fragrant broth is one of those simple things that just puts a smile on my face. I was first introduced to pho (pronounced fuh) nine years ago by my co-worker Eliz. Each day [...]]]>

Sitting down to an over-sized bowl filled with crunchy vegetables, paper thin beef, rice noodles and creamy tofu all swimming in hot fragrant broth is one of those simple things that just puts a smile on my face. I was first introduced to pho (pronounced fuh) nine years ago by my co-worker Eliz. Each day Eliz would bring in a small vat of pho from the Vietnamese restaurant down the street and each day I would watch him as he gleefully and rather comically ate his pho, all the while wondering what was the big deal. At that time I didn’t really get how amazing simplicity in cuisine truly was and figured that unless it came in the form of a napoleon, vol au vent or needed to be set on fire it probably wasn’t worth my time. Thankfully curiosity trumped my youthful snobbery (some may say ignorance), and one day I asked Eliz for a taste of his pho bo. I still remember how spicy, tangy and full bodied that first taste was and how I knew that he would be splitting the rest of the container with me.

While Phil and I were apartment hunting in April we had dinner with my sister at an amazing Vietnamese restaurant in Federal Way*. I love walking into an ethnic restaurant and not hearing a stitch of English, it seems to signify that something really delicious is in store. The restaurant was full of Vietnamese families gathering for dinner, doing homework and sharing their day; it felt as if we were entering someone’s private dining room. We were served a lovely pot of jasmine tea, ordered fresh spring rolls with an amazing sesame coconut sauce, potstickers, bun cha and my beloved pho. I blissfully munched, sipped and slurped my meal, only coming up for air long enough to help my sister hone her chopstick skills**. This lesson did not go unnoticed by an elderly woman at the next table who took great delight in mimicking my movements and openly laughing at us. Slightly mean old lady aside, this was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Hot, simple and delicious.

Four years ago when I moved away from Seattle to the Hamptons I had to face the harsh reality that there was not going to be any pho for a very long time. I still have yet to find a Vietnamese restaurant in the area (or out of the area for that matter). There was nothing for it, I had to create my own recipe and become my own supplier. I found an Asian market thirty miles*** away that, in the early days, was the only supplier of rice sticks and fish sauce I could find. Since then I’ve come up with some really delicious and rather interesting flavor combinations, but I always go back to one basic recipe that I am sharing with you today.

There are three secrets I have found in creating a spectacular bowl of pho, Number one: You must have a delicious and well seasoned broth. You can always dress it up with condiments later, but if you don’t have a good foundation it just won’t work. Number two: Cut your ingredients as uniform as possible. This may seem anal retentive, but it allows them to cook more evenly and makes them easier to eat with chopsticks. Last but not least, number three: After the broth, noodles, meat and veg have been combined let your bowl of pho rest for a few minutes. I know it is difficult, but the flavors won’t be fully developed if you dive right in. Besides, you’ll save yourself from a heinously burned tongue.

Pho

Serves 4-6 depending on the size of your bowl.
For the Broth

12 cups low sodium stock (I use chicken), homemade or store bought it’s up to you

1/4 cup fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 wild lime leaf

1-2 inches ginger, sliced into coins

In a stock pot combine all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Allow broth to simmer from 2-4 hours. Before serving fish out the garlic, ginger, lime leaf and bring it to an angry boil so it will be hot enough to cook the meat and veg arranged in your bowls.

Be very careful with this boiling broth. I had an incident a few months ago in which I ladled the broth into my hand instead of the bowl. Let’s just say it was one of the more painful things I have experienced.

The Noodles, Meat and Veg

1 pkg Rice noodles, cook according to the manufacturers instructions

Then choose some or all of the following:

Bean sprouts

Baby Bok Choy, sliced

Cabbage, shredded

Snow Pea Pods, julienned

Scallions, julienned

Basil, cut into a chiffonade (I highly recommend the addition of this ingredient)

Bell Pepper, julienned

Beef, sliced paper thin (I like to toss it with a splash of soy sauce)

Silken Tofu, sliced and strained

Scallops

Prawns

Whatever you can think of!

In planning allow for about 2 cups of mixed veg for each person counting seconds. Arrange the prepared ingredients in your bowl and ladle over the scalding hot broth. Add your garnishes and allow about five minutes or so for the broth to cook the meat/veg and allow the flavors to meld.

Many like to add cilantro to pho and most of the time I am no exception. However in this incarnation it really only serves to make the soup taste soapy.

To Garnish:

Lime Wedges – Sri Racha – Sambal Oelek – Fish Sauce – Ketjap Manis – Soy Sauce – Nuoc cham – Prik Nam Pla

* “If there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from” – Luke Skywalker

**As a joke we bought Angie a one piece chopstick the next day at Uwajimaya.

*** Some might think me a little ridiculous for going all that way, but anyone who knows me understands the lengths I will go to for a taste of home.

Calvin was a sixth grader with a Mickey Mouse voice, hair 12 inches high (good for hiding pencils), a penchant for brightly colored pants and unrequited love for yours truly. Shortly before Valentines Day 1990, Calvin called to ask if I would be his girlfriend. I thanked him, but politely refused. When Valentines Day rolled [...]]]>

Calvin was a sixth grader with a Mickey Mouse voice, hair 12 inches high (good for hiding pencils), a penchant for brightly colored pants and unrequited love for yours truly. Shortly before Valentines Day 1990, Calvin called to ask if I would be his girlfriend. I thanked him, but politely refused. When Valentines Day rolled around, it found Calvin sobbing his eyes out at the boy’s lunch table. My classmates spent the remaining part of the day aggressively trying to convince me to give this lovable nerd a chance. They were unsuccessful and I, the villain was left to walk home in tears.

That day seventeen years ago, I swore off Valentines Day for good, although my wishes were frequently ignored. When I was 15 my boyfriend gave me a giant balloon filled with glitter, strange candy, a bear and potpourri; resulting in one of the more embarrassing days I have ever had. At 18 there was cheap candy and sad flowers. Then at 21 there was annoyance coupled with exasperation over wishes ignored and tacky seasonal trappings received.

My husband and I started dating a week before Valentines Day six years ago. I knew he was the one immediately. That fact was confirmed on Valentines Day; when instead of chocolate he indulged me by sitting in a coffee shop* listening to me grouse about plastic cherubs and frilly greeting cards. Respecting what I wanted was the best Valentine I could have ever been given. So in honor of my anti-Valentine I have come up with this recipe for Garlic and Anchovy Soup.

I got the idea for this soup from the garlic bread my family made when I was a kid. We would brush a loaf of cracked wheat sourdough bread with minced garlic and melted butter or olive oil. The result was a tangy potent flavor that I still can’t get enough of. If the idea of a powerful garlic flavor frightens you, I recommend you allow the garlic mixture to caramelize before finishing the recipe for a mellow sweet flavor.

Garlic and Anchovy Soup

1 medium Walla Walla or Mayan Sweet onion, sliced

2 heads garlic, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup butter or olive oil

3-5 anchovy fillets

1 medium russet potato, rinsed and baked through, or 1 1/2 cups day old sourdough bread, crusts removed and cubed

1/4 tsp thyme leaves

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

Melt the butter over low to medium low heat. When butter is melted add in garlic, onion and anchovies and cook slowly over medium low heat until translucent

When the potato** has baked and cooled enough to touch, peel it and place in the blender. Add in the garlic mixture and 1 cup of the stock. Blend until smooth and return to the pan. Add in remaining stock, thyme and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with crostini and shavings of hard cheese to garnish.
* We can still be found sitting in a coffee shop on Valentines Day.

**If using sourdough instead of the potato, just add it straight into the blender.