Recipe: Quick Pork Pho

Quick Pork Pho
Bon Appetit, Oct 2014, not sure what page
2 stars

This was our second attempt at making pho.  It just doesn't taste like the pho you get at Vietnamese restaurants probably because we've been making 'quick' pho recipes. . . the broth is supposed to take hours to make/simmer so that's the primary issue.  The strong broth flavor just isn't there.

At least the recipe smelled like pho with the cinnamon, anise, fennel, garlic and onion that was in the broth.

I generally post my 'do not make again'/under 3 star recipes in my What Not to Make blog posting; however, I think this one has potential.  Just need to get the broth right, and we'll have a winner.  Also, next time, we're going to use thinly sliced beef instead of pork.

Does anyone out there have an amazing pho broth recipe that isn't super salty and doesn't use MSG?

Recipe: Marinated Tofu with Peanuts and Charred Bean Sprouts

Marinated Tofu with Peanuts and Charred Bean Sprouts
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p.74
3.5 stars

I like tofu, and this is a pretty good recipe that is a healthy side dish.  I'd make it again.

Ingredients include:  firm tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, roasted peanuts, mint, jalapeno, ginger, soy sauce, light brown sugar, vegetable oil, salt, lime wedges -- and rice

We ate this with rice and marinated steak.

A quick weekday meal!

Recipe: Ricotta Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Ricotta Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Us Weekly
3.5 stars

I found this "foolproof" ricotta gnocchi recipe from Masterchef winner Courtney Lapresi in Us Weekly of all places.  Foolproof?  Not exactly, but it was quite good and one that we will use (and base our own recipes off of) in the future.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 8 oz ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs and salt, using a spoon, until just incorporated into a soft dough. 

On a well-floured work surface, shape dough into two ropes, 1-inch in diameter and 18 inches long. Using the back of a floured butter knife, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Indent each gnocchi using the tip of your index finger. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; working in small batches, cook gnocchi until they float to the top, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a colander to drain. In a pan over medium-high heat, melt butter; add sage and continue cooking until butter begins to brown but not burn, 2 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to pan and cook until they brown on both sides, tossing often, 3 minutes. Stir in peas and zest and continue cooking until heated throughout. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serves 4 (makes about 36 gnocchi)

Few notes:

• The recipe above is not the recipe that was in Us Weekly -- for some reason, I can't find the recipe that I tore out of the magazine!  The modified recipe above is from Self Magazine which  calls for part skim ricotta and doesn't include pancetta.
• The dough was extremely sticky and not "formable" so we added almost a cup more of the flour.
• Cooked 3 oz pancetta with the butter.
• We couldn't taste the sage (and we added 8 leaves) -- needs more sage!

Recipe: Cocoa-Pepper Waffle Cookies

Cocoa-Pepper Waffle Cookies
Food and Wine Magazine, Feb 2012, p. 74
3.5 stars

Cookies these are not.  They're not sweet enough to be called cookies;  however, these would be a fun breakfast/brunch item -- I mean, they're chocolate waffles!

I was going through all of the dessert recipes I've torn out of magazines over the years, looking for an easy cookie or cake recipe to make on Sunday.  I came across this no bake recipe.  (You use a waffle iron!)  We had all the ingredients except for buttermilk which we procured.

Ingredients include:  stick of unsalted butter, light brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg white, vanilla extract, flour, unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking soda, ground pepper, buttermilk, Confectioners' sugar

Basically, you mix up a bunch of the ingredients and put them in the waffle iron for about 3 minutes and voila -- waffles (not cookies).

Note:  I didn't mix the pepper into the batter.  As you can see from the photo above, we created a sundae using the waffles.  We had black pepper ice cream in the fridge from the past week which imparted the pepper flavor.  So, in the end, we made the waffles dusted with powdered sugar, topped with black pepper ice cream and drizzled with chocolate ganache (which we made to increase the sweetness of the dish).

I'd make the waffles again . . . but for breakfast or brunch next time.

Recipe: Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta

Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta
Bon Appetit, Sept 2014, p. 29
4 stars

I really enjoyed this super-easy to make vegetarian pasta dish.  The recipe is from CBD Provisions, a popular restaurant in Dallas.

Soffritto ingredients:  carrot, celery, red onion, olive oil, smoked paprika
Other ingredients:  strozzapreti or gemelli pasta, mixed mushrooms, garlic, lemon juice, chives, Parmesan, ricotta, eggs, olive oil

You may be thinking, "What is soffritto?"  It's a mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables such as onions, garlic and celery that is sauteed in olive oil and used as a base for many Italian ingredients.

Note:  We used pasta that we already had in our pantry (instead of buying strozzapreti pasta) and didn't add the hard-boiled eggs on top.  Instead, I think an overeasy egg on top would be delicious next time.