Pho Dinner in Less Than 20 Minutes

Your Vietnamese Grandmother Was Right

So everyone in my family is either sick, getting sick, or getting over being sick. The kids are getting over being sick, finally. My husband is sick. really sick. Poor baby. I am getting sick and trying to will myself into not getting worse while I nurse the others back to health. Not sure if I am winning that battle.

I am trying to combat the sickness with hot and spicy Vietnamese Pho. It’s my personal take on the Grandma’s Chicken Soup cure. I figure if nuclear hot, anise seasoned broth doesn’t kill the virus maybe the Sriracha sauce will. That’s stuff can do anything.

I’d like to say that I take the time to make the broth from scratch, but that would be a big, fat lie. I have done it and it makes a delicious stock, but I don’t have the time, nor do I feel well enough to spend multiple hours in the kitchen. I am all for authenticity but, please!

Pacific Foods makes a great ready-made Pho broth base that we carry in our Asian section. I usually use the beef, but the chicken is great too. Because I like the broth to be more beef-y, I add about 2 cups of beef broth to the Pho base, and maybe a little bit more salt. I have also been known to add demi-glace. It depends on your preference.

Just ask our guys in the meat department will slice you some extra-thin meat to cook in the boiling broth. They are happy to do it. I prefer Sirloin but again, it’s up to you.

Whatever your soup cure of choice, I wish you all good health. Get some sleep. Drink liquids. Wash your hands often, and if all else fails you can try a few shots of Sriracha. Read more…

Risotto with Porcini Caramelized Onion and Sage

The Big Show
On Monday, I spent hours walking up and down the aisles of this year’s Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center. I love this show. It’s so motivating! And while there may not always be a huge number of new producers or revolutionary products, every time you get that many food people in a room I can’t help but come away feeling energized and excited about the world of food. (By the time we left the show I was totally ready to buy a goat farm and make my own cheese and/or caramels. And don’t get me started on grinding my own wheat for bread, or foraging for mushrooms).

As always there numerous interesting products to try. I found an amazing mushroom product company called Wineforest Wild Foods. They are based in Napa and have some of the most beautiful mushroom products. We will be bringing some of their products in soon but you can check out their website. I’m looking forward to the Porcini Polenta and the Forest Farro.

Food-wise it seems that lately there are a lot of great things coming out of Portland—and the Pacific Northwest in general. One of my personal favorites was a company called Unbound Pickling. All of their produce and herbs are sourced locally, and each jar is hand packed. They’re gorgeous. My two favorites were the Bacon Pickles (anything with bacon!), and the Pickled Walla Walla Sweets. So tasty. Look for those on our shelves soon.

Tea is always a big category but this year it wasn’t just your usual cuppa. A company called Owl’s Brew introduced their line of Tea Mixers crafted for cocktails. They were outstanding, and very refreshing. Perfect for the coming Spring and Summer seasons. With three different flavors meant to be mixed with a variety of your favorite spirits, there’s something to please everyone. My favorite was the Pink & Black with Whiskey. (This was one of the first things I tasted when the show opened at 10 AM! Nothing like a shot first thing in the morning.)

The one big takeaway that I had from the show, and I think everyone noticed, was a big shift across all the categories to real food. By real food, I mean that producers are making things simply and with actual food—not chemicals or engineered food-like substances. Ingredient lists no longer require a Ph.D. to decipher. Sodas are being made with cane sugar. Bye-bye corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Agave is king if you don’t want regular sugar, and it was an ingredient in a huge number of “healthier alternative” products, and some of the not-so-healthy foods and drinks as well. And yes, there was, of course, plenty of kale and chia.

This change in thinking was to me by far the best thing about the show this year. (Well, that and the fact that the crazy water fad appears to have exceeded it’s 15 minutes of fame. Finally.) It was all about the food and nothing but the food, put together by people with a passion who know what they are doing. And it is good. Read more…

Fresh Blood Oranges with Lemon Honey Syrup

Fresh Blood Oranges with Lemon Honey Syrup These brilliantly-colored fruits are at their peak, and this year’s season is a great one for citrus. They juice beautifully, are a welcome sight in lunch boxes, liven up salads, and make delicious marmalade. If you have not had the pleasure of experiencing a blood orange, Read more…

Classic Roast Beef and Gravy

*King George
My husband is one of the unfortunate few who was born on Christmas Day. Though he doesn’t see it as any big deal now that he is an adult (and the adult part is debatable), as a kid he said it was a drag. Because I find myself strangely miffed on behalf of my adolescent husband, after all the presents are opened Christmas morning we quickly turn our thoughts from Ho Ho Ho to Happy Birthday.

With birthday honors come responsibilities, though, and each year it is his responsibility to decide what we will have for dinner that Christmas-Birthday evening. Over the years, I have made some crazy stuff based on the whims of the Birthday Boy’s palette. We had a crab feed once. There was also a Birthday Paella. A few years ago I roasted a goose (I don’t think we’ll do that one again). I have also made Rack of Lamb a number of times, as it is one of his favorites.

This year, we’re going easy and classic due the fact that we are both just too tired to deal. The menu for his 45th is Classic Roast Beef and Gravy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sautéed Mushrooms with a salad thrown in to combat the cholesterol and butter. And then there’s the wine…

A really good roast beef is very easy to make. They key is to cook it low and slow, and not mess with it to much. Rub it with salt and pepper and maybe some chopped fresh herbs, and you’re good. Shove it in the oven and walk away. Comeback a few hours later and dinner is served. Any leftovers you have make a great sandwich for lunch the next day.

Here is my all time favorite recipe for roast beef from Cooks Country Magazine. It includes a mushroom gravy but I only make that occasionally…if I’m in the mood. Read more…