Sometimes you know a recipe’s just not going to be anywhere near authentic, not going to be nearly as good as you could get in a restaurant, but could still suffice for a quick weeknight meal. This is one of those recipes, from the cookbook How to Eat Supper. Should you really expect a full-flavored broth — the essence of pho! — in a 20 minute cooking-time recipe? No. If you haven’t yet experienced pho, this might stand on its own as an interesting soup recipe, but if you try to compare it to the real thing, it falls short. But hey — it was good enough to warm our bellies on this chilly evening.

Chris says:

What the pho? This just makes me want real pho, not faux pho.

Lisa says:

What if you just think of it as a noodle soup with slices of beef in it?

Chris says:

Okay — in that case, it’s not bad. But the broth could still be more flavorful. You can definitely taste the broiled veggies, and they’re good, but I really need to try to disconnect the pho association.

Lisa says:

You certainly look like you’re enjoying your sauces.

Chris says:

Pho Shizzle. I’m a meat dipper.

Lisa says:

Oh, pho cryin’ out loud… enough with the puns!

Chris says:

Okay, fine. In fact, there’s my review of this recipe. Okay/fine. Not spectacular, but I certainly didn’t dislike it.

Lisa says:

I agree. Good, not great.

Chris says:

Not pho.

Fee, Fi, Faux Pho
For the broth:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3″ piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
6 whole cloves
1 whole star anise, bruised (or 1/2 tsp anise seed)
freshly ground black pepper
4 14-oz cans chicken broth
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp fish sauce

For the soup:
6 oz rice noodles
6 oz top round steak, sliced paper-thin (place in freezer for 30 minutes before slicing to make this easier)

To Garnish:
cilantro
thai basil
jalapenos, sliced
bean sprouts
lime, quartered
hoisin sauce
sriracha, or other hot sauce

Place an oven rack 4-6 inches under the broiler and preheat. On a large piece of doubled-over foil, scatter the vegetables and spices from the broth ingredients (onion through black pepper) and broil for five minutes, flipping once, until the onion begins to char and the spices are fragrant. Remove from the oven and place everything in a large pot.
Add the broth, sugar, and fish sauce and bring to a low boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. While the broth simmers, prepare the rice noodles by soaking them in warm water for 10-15 minutes, or until almost tender. (They’ll lose a little more firmness when the soup gets added.) Drain and divide the noodles between two very large soup bowls. Place the garnish ingredients on a plate and set at the table.
When ready to serve, divide the (raw) beef between the two soup bowls. Ladle the low-boil broth into the bowls (this will cook the meat pretty much instantly). Top each bowl with your preferred garnishes.

2 Servings

Tonight, a dish that’s perfect for those hot summer evenings where you don’t want to turn on the stove or the oven: a “stew” made entirely of raw and precooked ingredients. Shrimp, cucumbers, and avocado are topped with a puree of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, then topped with cilantro and tortilla chips. This recipe comes from How to Eat Supper.

Lisa says:

Is this like gazpacho or something?

Chris says:

Sort of — it’s like the world’s best chunky salsa.

Lisa says:

Yum… seems pretty light if it’s just raw veggies and shrimp.

Chris says:

Yep! Light and refreshing… that lime juice brightens up the flavors a bit.

Lisa says:

So, you mentioned that you don’t have to turn on the oven, but we did anyway for the bread we had with it.

Chris says:

Yeah, well I also mentioned that it’s good for really hot nights, but it’s actually kinda cool and raining.

Lisa says:

True. It’s still delicious.

Santa Fe Summer Pot with Shrimp and Avocado
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 pound cooked peeled shrimp
Handful tortilla chips, lightly crushed
limes, cut into wedges

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and spices. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
Place the tomatoes and cilantro sprigs into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is chunky. Add the onion mixture, and pulse five times.
Divide the cucumber, avocado, and shrimp among four bowls. Spoon the tomato blend into the bowls. Garnish with the crushed tortilla chips, additional cilantro, and lime wedges.

4 Servings

Lisa wanted to make dinner tonight, and we had a ton of vegetables to use up from our CSA box, so we came up with these vegetarian enchiladas, filled with summer squash, spinach, and mushrooms, and topped with a green chile enchilada sauce.  Photogenic?  Not so much.  Healthy, full of veggies, and quick?  Absolutely!

Lisa says:

How come all the food I make is ugly?

Chris says:

Hey! All the food you make isn’t ugly; and I think the biggest reason this one isn’t exactly photogenic is because of the blue tortillas.

Lisa says:

Hmm… maybe… I love that enchilada sauce, it’s got a really nice flavor.

Chris says:

I like the creaminess from the creme fraiche.

Lisa says:

The filling is awesome — I don’t miss not having meat in there.

Chris says:

Totally — and I like using up all our CSA veggies from the fridge.

Lisa says:

I can’t wait to have ugly but delicious leftovers tomorrow.

UBD Summer Squash Veggie Enchiladas

1 14-oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 tbsp creme fraiche
1 1/2 cups mixed summer squash, cubed
8 oz mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red salad onions, bulbs and stems thinly sliced OR 1 large red onion, sliced
10 oz spinach
10 corn tortillas
pepper-jack cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the summer squash and mushrooms; cook for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms start to brown.  Add the garlic, about three quarters of the red onion and continue cooking until the onions turn translucent and the squash is crisp-tender.  Add the spinach and red salad onion stems, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted.  Season with a teaspoon of salt, and cover to keep warm.
Lay out the tortillas on a baking sheet and spray on both sides with cooking oil, then stack in twos. Bake for 3 minutes or until soft and pliable. Remove and stack in a single pile; cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
In a small pot, heat the enchilada sauce to boiling, then lower the heat.  Stir in cilantro and the creme fraiche into the sauce.  Taste and season with salt, if desired.  Hold a tortilla by one edge and dip into the sauce.  Fill the center with 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling, then roll and lay seam side down in a 9×13 baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and remaining red onion, and bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional salad onions.

Makes 10 enchiladas.

This recipe is from Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible, and we both really enjoyed this new way of preparing salmon! It’s stuffed with a walnut-cilantro-dill filling, and then wrapped in grape leaves and placed on a hot grill. We served the fish with roasted sunchokes drizzled with truffle oil. Fancy!

Lisa says:

My dad would really like this one…

Chris says:

You can totally taste the flavor of the grape leaves on the salmon.

Lisa says:

So you’re not supposed to eat the grape leaves?

Chris says:

The recipe claims not, but I just took a nibble — crispy, smoky, and salty… I’m sure it’s fine if you want it!

Lisa says:

This is a lot of fish; here, take a lit– hey, hands off my delicious filling!

Chris says:

Sucka!

Salmon Grilled in Grape Leaves
8 to 12 grape leaves packed in brine
2 salmon fillets, skinned and deboned
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1 clove garlic
1/2 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 paper-thin lemon slices

Rinse the grape leaves and soak in cold water for 30 minutes or so. Drain them and pat dry with paper towels.
Rinse the salmon under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Place the fillets on a cutting board, and with a knife parallel to the board, cut a deep pocket in each fillet, starting and ending about 1 inch from each end, cutting almost all the way through. Season the fillets with salt and pepper, inside and out.
Combine the walnuts, garlic, dill, cilantro, and lemon juice in a food processor and mix to a coarse paste. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Spoon the stuffing into the fillets, dividing evenly.
Arrange 2-3 grape leaves on a work surface to form a rectangle 2 inches larger than the piece of salmon. Place a piece of salmon on the top of the grape leaves, place a lemon slice on top, then cover the salmon with the remaining grape leaves. Fold and tuck the ends under the salmon. Secure with — well, we used floss. Repeat for the other fillet.
Set up the grill and preheat to high heat. Brush and oil the grill grate. Place the wrapped fish over direct heat and grill until the grape leaves are browned and the fish is cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Using a spatula, transfer the fish to a serving plate. Unwrap the salmon and discard the grape leaves before eating.

2 Servings

This recipe came together in about 15-20 minutes, so it definitely lived up to the title of the book from which it came — Food & Wine Magazine’s Quick from Scratch Herbs & Spices Cookbook. We’re just diving into this one, but I’m really liking it so far — I love when each recipe is accompanied by a full-page picture. The book is divided into two sections: “Herbs” and “Spices”. Each recipe features a particular herb/spice — cilantro is one of our favorites, so we started there.

Chris says:

So, considering that I decided to make this about 10 minutes before you got home, I’d say this turned out quite well.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I thought we were doing Tortilla soup!

Chris says:

I changed my mind… not in a soup mood. Besides, this way we can tell Jeanette how much we enjoy the cookbook when we see her this weekend.

Lisa says:

It’s true! Yum, I like this dipping sauce.

Chris says:

I like most dipping sauces. Especially when they have cilantro!

Lisa says:

Cilantro *does* rule the planet. We need to start growing it.

Chris says:

Yes, please.

Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and stems removed
4 cloves garlic: 2 smashed, 2 minced
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 lbs.)
6 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp water

Light the grill and set at medium-high heat. In a blender, puree the jalapeños, smashed garlic cloves, the 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp salt. Put the chicken in a shallow dish and coat with the cilantro puree.
Grill the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt to a simmer, stirring. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the liquid into a small glass or stainless-steel bowl and let cool. Add the minced garlic, the tablespoon of chopped cilantro, the red-pepper flakes, and water. Serve each chicken breast with a small bowl of dipping sauce alongside.

4 Servings