VIETNAMESE PHO (SOUP)

The National Dish of Vietnam is a Delicious Healthy Soup, called Pho (pronounced Foe).

• This Pho recipe Serves 4-6 people.
• Incredible flavor and taste, easily customized to each diners palette.
• Great for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

3 medium unpeeled yellow onions

4-inch piece unpeeled ginger

5 to 6 pounds beef soup bones (leg and knuckle bones)

1 lb flank steak. cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 lb sirloin or round steak

1 tablespoon Cilantro (chopped)

2 -14 ounce packages of small ( 1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles

2-3 scallions (chopped)

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

2 Limes (cut in wedges)

1 bunch fresh mint

1 bunch fresh basil

2 Fresh chili peppers, thinly sliced

5 star anise

6 whole cloves garlic

3 1-inch cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoons salt

1/4 cup Hot chili sauce (optional)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Black pepper (to taste)

1 tablespoon white sugar

Preparation of the Broth:

In a large stock pot, place leg bones and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, approximately 3-5 minutes.  Add 6 quarts of water bring to a rolling boil, and reduce to a gentle simmer.  Add onions, ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cut up flank steak, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. Simmer about 2 hours, then remove the flank steak. (Steak should be done through but chewy) .  Refrigerate flank steak in a container full of cold water, make sure the steak is fully submerged.  Continue simmering broth for approximately 3 hours, skimming scum and fat from broth occasionally, and stirring bones from time to time.  When done, strain the broth and discard bones.  Refrigerate broth. while preparing bowls, this is so that excess fat can be easily removed from the cold broth. The idea here is to have a very clear, fat-free broth.

Preparation of Bowls:

Slice the sirloin or round steak against the grain in very thin slices (freezing for a half-hour makes this easier), also thinly slice cooked flank steak.
Re-heat broth to boiling over medium heat.  In a separate pot, blanch noodles in 3-4 quarts of boiling water, remove noodles with strainer and let rest.  Blanching should only take about 10-20 seconds, until the noodles have lost their stiffness, and are easily managed.
If using fresh noodles, simply untangle and rinse in cold water. Fill each bowl  1/4 full with noodles, place cooked flank steak and slices of raw sirloin or round steak on top of noodles.  Garnish this with sliced scallions, thinly sliced onions, and chopped cilantro.  Ladle seasoned broth into bowl. The idea here is to have the boiling broth cook the thinly sliced raw steak. Season with ground black pepper.

A garnish plate of basil, mint, thinly sliced peppers, lime wedges and bean sprouts is served alongside the soup.  Each diner picks what they want to add to their soup, each garnish provides a different taste profile and texture.

Flavor, taste, and originality - Try Pho.

*** Very healthy and delicious, great for variety and diets ***

*** Make and store larger batches of broth in fridge or freezer ***

*** Substitute lamb, pork, chicken, or seafood in the recipe ***

IRISH STEW (TRADITIONAL)

Old-Fashioned Irish Stew Recipe

• This Irish recipe serves 6 people.
• Great for cold nights, and a wonderful comfort food.
• Great for freezing and storage.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef  or Lamb (cubed)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 bay leaf

2 lg. potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

3 lg. carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices

1 (approximately 16 oz.) bag frozen peas

2 cups beef broth

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 cup whole wheat flour in a plastic bag

2 tbsp. cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cut beef into bite-size cubes. Add beef cubes to flour in bag and shake until cubes are coated with flour.  Heat oil in large pot and add celery, onion and bay leaves. Sauté until onions and celery are translucent, add the beef a little at a time to the pan and brown beef completely.  Add beef broth and tomato sauce, and add enough water to cover beef and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 2 hours until beef is nice and tender.  Then add carrots and potatoes, and cook an additional 1/2 hour until vegetables are tender.  And finally, add the frozen peas and cook 5-10 minutes more.  Serve and enjoy.

Hearty, filling, and full of flavor - We love Irish Stew.

*** To modify recipe try adding other root vegetables ***

*** To add another flavor profile, add a dash of some red table wine ***