Pho Bo

The entire continent of Asia is a mystery to me. It is the farthest away from my known universe, and it truely fascinates me. So much so that I planned my last backpacking trip to include Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I came to my senses and realized I probably would not survive by myself for six weeks in Southeast Asia, so I went back to Europe instead. Part of me wishes I had went through with it.

I have attempted to smother my inner regret by buying many Asian cookbooks and learning everything I can about regional Asian food. Pho has been a huge interest of mine because it is delicious, and my ideal breakfast food. A few months ago, I read an article in the local paper about a Vietnamese restaurant in Syracuse serving delicious, authentic Pho. I have visited the restaurant twice and, sadly, I have not been impressed. This is my interprentation of the traditional Vietnamese aromatic beef and noodle soup. I snuck a bit of pork into the mix, just because I like it, and I think it adds an "unctuousness" to the sauce. I hate that word. If I am eating this for breakfast, I like to add a runny fried egg.

Vietnamese Pho Bo, adapted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid


Broth:
6 pounds of meat; I use about 4 pounds of oxtail, 1 of pig tail, and 1 of pork neck
6 quarts of water
5 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
5 cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed
A large thumb sized piece of ginger
2 medium onions, cut in half
6 tablespoons good quality fish sauce (not made from anchovies, check out an Asian market)
Salt

Garnishes:
Noodles of your choice; I like wheat noodles, but rice are more traditional
Bean sprouts
Basil and cilantro
Lime
Sriracha or chiles for some heat

Place all the meat into a pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes, then drain. Rinse the pieces and pot well. This will help clarify the broth by removing some of the impurities from the bones and meat. Place the meat back into the clean pot, and add 4 of the 6 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and add the anise, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns.

The ginger and onion should be charred before they are added to the broth. This adds a nice smoky flavor to the broth. I put a wire cooling rack over the gas burner of my stove to blacken them. This could easily be done under the broiler, or in a cast iron skillet. After they are blackened, slice the ginger in chunks and add both to the pot.

Let the stock boil gently for about 30 minutes, continuously skimming off the foam and impurities. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water, bring back to a boil, and continue to skim. When the foam has stopped rising to the top, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another hour. Add the fish sauce and continue to cook for 2 more hours.

Remove the stock from the heat, strain through cheesecloth into a container, and leave to cool. Once cooled, refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or overnight. The fat will rise to the top of the broth and solidify. Remove the layer of fat (you can save this to cook something in, it has great flavor). Shred the meat off the bones and use in the finished soup, or in another preperation.

To serve the soup, bring some of the broth to a boil and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce or salt. Cook the noodles in salted, boiling water. If using bean sprouts, blanch them for about 30 seconds in boiling water. Add the noodles and sprouts to a bowl and cover with broth. Add some basil and cilantro leaves, sriracha or sliced chile, and a runny fried egg. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Spicy Beef Tongue Tacos

 

I felt like this was an appropriate recipe to launch my new blog and format. Wouldn't I feel like an ass if the first new recipe on a blog named Even Offal was some chicken breast, or filet mignon.

The tongue of an animal is a beautiful thing. Yet, I feel there are few cuts which people are more repulsed by. Before it is brined, braised, skinned and sliced, it looks like a tongue. For someone who has never had tongue, and may not have an inherent curiosity for offal, something which looks like it was just ripped from a cow's head does not instill a great deal of confidence. For these people, coercing may be necessary, along with lots of judgement fogging alcohol. However, you must only convince them once, because once they have tried tongue, they will know there exists no more tender meat.

All of these steps are from Jennifer McLagan's book, Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal. It is a fantastic book, full of information on how to source, prep, and cook different parts of the animal. I highly recommend it.

To prepare tongue takes a few days. First, it must be brined...

For the brine:
8 ounces kosher or sea salt by weight
6.25 ounces brown sugar
1 tablespoon toasted coriander seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries, crushed
1/2 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 fresh bay leaves
1 gallon water

Place all the ingredients in 8 cups of the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Pour into a glass or plastic container, add the rest of the water, and cool completely.

Rinse the beef tongue well and add to the cooled brine. Brine for 2-3 days, turning if necessary. After the tongue has been brined, rinse well.

Then the tongue must be poached...

1 beef tongue
1 onion, quartered
2 cloves
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
6 black peppercorns
6 allspice berries
3 sprigs of parsley
1 clove garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf

Place the tongue in a large saucepan or stockpot with the cloves, onion, carrot and celery. Add enough cold water to cover the tongue by 2 inches. Bring slowly to a boil, making sure to skim any scum which rises to the surface (like you are making stock). When you feel the scum is no longer rising to the top, add the remaining ingredients and simmer, partially covered, for 1.5 - 2.5 hours. The tongue should be very tender.

When the tongue is tender to your liking, remove it and set on a plate or cutting board. Now you must peel the tongue, and it is easiest to do when the tongue is still hot. Start at the back of the tongue with a small knife, loosen the skin (which should have separated a little from the meat) and peel off. It usually comes off pretty easily. You can use the knife to clean off any remaining scraps of skin, and discard. Also, trim the fat of the base of the tongue and discard. Place the peeled tongue back in the cooking liquid and leave to cool. The recipe can be completed up to this point and left in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if you would like.

When ready to make the tacos...

1.25 pounds fresh plum tomatoes
2 serrano chiles
1/4 cup blanched almonds
3 ancho chiles
2 cascabel chiles (sometimes these are hard to find, so experiment with something you think will be good)
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lard
1 clove garlic
1.5 teaspoons course sea salt
A nice pinch of allspice
A nice pinch of ground cinnamon
12 ounces of poached tongue
12 flour tortillas
Queso fresco
Shredded lettuce
Pickled or fresh red onion
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Core the tomatoes and lightly blacken them, with the serranos, on a gas grill or under the broiler. Transfer them to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, set aside. In a small frying pan, toast the almonds until lightly browned, set aside.

Tear the chiles up into large pieces, discarding the stems and seeds. Toast the pieces in a hot frying pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Place the pieces in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water. Leave to steep for about 20 minutes.

Peel and chop the tomatoes and serranos, discarding the seeds and skins. Drain the dried chiles.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the lard. Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Add the almonds, tomatoes, drained chiles, salt, allspice, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Place the serrano chiles in a blender, add the tomato-almond sauce and blend until smooth. Pass the mixture through a course sieve with a spatula, and back into the frying pan. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Cut the tongue into strips, across the grain, about 1/4 inch by 2 inches and reheat in the sauce. You can add a little bit of water if the sauce looks too thick.

Serve the tongue with warm tortillas and bowls of the other condiments. This recipe takes a lot of work, so the guests can make their own tacos.