It’s officially fall on the Central Coast and with that comes warm lattes, boots, jackets, and hot, comforting meals. For my birthday my Mommy Dearest gave me this Le Crueset Pot! I was so excited to receive this and add it to my slowly growing collection. For my first creation in this monster “French Oven,” as it’s deemed, I decided to make Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup. I found a recipe and without the desire to invest a lot of time and money into stewing beef bone marrow, shanks, and fat, as a typical Pho would do, I took the easier, quicker, cheaper route…Here’s my recipe.

What You’ll Need:

{1 liter Vegetable Broth, 1 liter Beef Broth, 1/2 liter Water, 1 yellow Onion, Ginger, Pho Bouillon Cubes, 3 Whole Star Anise, Pho Noodles, Bunch of Cilantro, Mint, Bean Sprouts, Jalapenos or Serranos, Limes, Thai Basil, Tofu, Hoisin Sauce, Sriracha, Soy Sauce}

I started off combining all my broths, the vegetable stock, beef stock, and water and bringing them to a boil. The Pho noodles don’t need much time at all to cook and by that I mean like 5-10 seconds dipped into the broth and they’re done! So, after bringing the water to a boil, flash dip the noodles and then strain them out, while keeping all the broth. I then added the onion, ginger cubed into 6, 1/2 inch chunks, whole star anise, and Pho bouillon cube. I brought this all to a high simmer then placed the lid on the pot and let it do its thing for about 4 hours. Keep an eye on it to ensure that it’s only simmering, not boiling.There’s not much prep, in the meantime because all the other condiments can be plated when the broth is ready.

When the broth is about 10-15 minutes out, cube the tofu and throw it in so it will incorporate the flavors of the broth and warm up without getting too soft and soggy. Once the tofu is in, start plating the toppings. Slice up some limes, and chilies, leave the cilantro, Thai basil and mint on the stems. Throw some bean sprouts on the plate and you have all you need! Get your sauces out and put them on the side.

To finish, heat your bowls up and put some noodles in them. Pour over the broth and add your toppings as needed. Enjoy!

Cheers! -L