Pho Lee Vietnamese – Austin, TX

 

On a recent trip to Austin, some friends directed us to a little strip center restaurant to appease my partner’s craving for a traditional Vietnamese dish: pho.

Pho Lee Vietnamese Restaurant is a small, strip center restaurant. It is immaculately clean,t eh staff is friendly and the jasmine tea is always fresh. In spite of it’s seemingly small size, the menu is full of delights from pho, bun, mi, com chien, and Thai offerings to a small number of Chinese dishes. A little something for everyone who enjoys the savory, good-for-the-soul nature of Vietnamese foods.

We took it easy on our carb intake on this trip, sticking to spring rolls and pho. There’s so much more to try that we will just have to visit again, such as the Cafe Sua (Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk, served hot or cold).

Spring rolls with shrimp.

The spring rolls were unexpectedly well done, with a thin and tender rice membrane containing lettuce, cilantro, bean sprouts, boiled shrimp, and served with a light peanut sauce.

 

Pho Tai, Nam, Gau

Pho Tai, Nam, Gau
Pho noodle soup with thin slices of eye of round steak, well-done flank steak, and marble brisket.

Marble brisket has thin layers of fat like bacon, making it quite tasty.

 

Pho Ga

Pho Ga
Pho noodle soup with thin slices of white meat chicken, and thinly sliced onion that melts in your mouth.

 

Cilantro, basil, lime, jalapeno and bean sprouts on the side, giving you the options of adding flavor and texture to your pho.

Hoisin, sriracha, a hot chili sauce and soy sauce were available at the table. By adding a bit to each spoonful, rather than the entire bowl, splendid combinations of flavors will keep your pho from homogenization on the palate.

When you are next in Austin and have some time for lunch or needs a hearty, satisfying supper, stop by Pho Lee and indulge your senses.

On the 1-5 scale, Pho Lee has earned:
Cleanliness – 4.5
Service – 4
Quality of food – 4
Flavor – 5
Pricing – 3.5
Overall experience – 4.5

Pho Lee Vietnamese Restaurant
2601 N Interstate 35 Frontage Road
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 310-8585

Enjoy!

–Ann Cathey

Rachael’s Mostly-Lazy Tomato Bisque

A friend of mine tried to record her own recipe for tomato bisque while she was making a batch recently. This is what she came up with. Give it a try and leave a note for her in the comments. I’ll be sure any comments get to her.

Rachael’s Mostly-Lazy Tomato Bisque
Serves 4 as side dish/appetizer, 2 as a meal

Ingredients:
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
14 oz can vegetable broth or seafood broth(lobster/shrimp)
Garlic cloves, peeled (as many as you want. I used an entire head)
Butter (2-8 tbsp…go with your preference)
2 tbsp dried basil (or a handful of chopped fresh)
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp paprika (I used smoked-highly recommend)
1 tsp salt (again, used wood-smoked cause it’s amazing!)
1 tsp pepper
1/2 c heavy cream

Optional: 
Truffle dust (yes, seriously. I love this stuff and have an addiction. Don’t judge me.)
Splash of olive oil

Directions:
Add first 4 ingredients to pot. Simmer on medium, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.

Slowly stir in the herbs and seasoning (or just dump ’em in if you’re a rebel). If you’re using truffle dust or olive oil, add them now. Simmer until garlic is soft, at least 30 minutes.

Add the heavy cream to a separate bowl and slowly pour a couple of ladles of the bisque into it, stirring to prevent curdling. Pour this back into the pot and stir until well combined.

If you want a smoother bisque run it through a blender, but I prefer to leave a little bit of texture to the soup and only pureed a portion of it. If you do only puree a portion, make sure you get all of the garlic cloves into the blender.

Serve hot with your favorite tomato soup/bisque toppings. Shredded cheese, sour cream,  shrimp, bacon are all tried and true additions.

 

 

Please leave Rachael a comment if you try out her recipe. It looks delicious to me!

Enjoy!

— Ann Cathey

Slow Cooker Recipes from Crock-Pot #3

I like to use slow cooker liners. Whenever I buy a box of them, there is invariably a little handout inside that includes a few recipes. They are great for folks starting out with slow cookers!

Here’s another soup dish to help keep you warm this holiday season!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Cook time on High: 3 hours
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 oz green chilis, canned, drained and chopped (hot or mild, your preference)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
30 oz diced tomatoes, canned, including fluid
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped
1 lime
salt & pepper to taste
4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4″ strips
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 avocado, diced, tossed with lime juice to prevent browning

Directions:
1. Place chicken in stoneware.
2. In separate bowl, combine chilis, garlic, onion, tomato, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and cumin. Blend and pour over chicken.
3. Cook three hours.
4. When chicken is tender, use the tines of 2 forks to shred the meat.
5. Adjust seasoning to taste and add remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth if needed.
6. Just before serving, add cilantro and tortilla strips.
7. Top individual servings with shredded cheese, avocado and a squeeze of lime.

Notes:
Be careful not to overcook the chicken as it will get tough.

Personally, I prefer to mix the ingredients listed in #2 directly in the stoneware and add the chicken gently to the mixture. This prevents having yet another dish to wash – I use lots of them when cooking!

— Ann Cathey

Slow Cooker Recipes from Crock-Pot #2

I like to use slow cooker liners. Whenever I buy a box of them, there is invariably a little handout inside that includes a few recipes. They are great for folks starting out with slow cookers!

Here’s one to help keep you warm this winter!

Beef Stew
Cook time on Low: 4-6 hours
Cook time on High: 2-3 hours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 lbs beef chuck, cubed
olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
6 tsp garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 cups red or white wine
1 cup beef broth

Directions:
1. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the cubed meat in the flour.
2. Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, and place over a medium-high heat.
3. Heat oil and sear beef on all sides.
4. Add seared beef and all other ingredients to stoneware.
5. Cover and cook on selected temperature as directed above. Stir occasionally.

Notes:
This recipe also works well with venison or buffalo. Add carrots, wild onion, crimini mushrooms and a little extra garlic to achieve the wilder flavors that make such a wonderful blend with these meats.

It is also tasty with pork, though pork is a much fattier meat. Pork prefers a higher volume of veggies, especially turnips and potatoes.

Additional veggies are always a delight in stews. Add carrots and celery early on so they will have time to soften a bit. Add potatoes or turnips about 1/2 way on Low or 3/4 of the way on High through the cook time.

This is a dish best served with fresh biscuits, over cornbread, or over rice if you have no problems with all the carbs. Serve with a glass of the same wine used in the dish for a lovely accompaniment.

— Ann Cathey

Crock-Pot Boxty

–Intro to Boxty

Crock-Pot Boxty – expand on this in the instructions

Ham bits
juices off ham
diced Portabello
1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves (loosely packed)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1TBSP dried onion bits
cabbage head, diced

Allow the pot to cook on low until all the cabbage is soft and slightly mushy. Serve over plain mashed potatoes and top with a sprinkle of grated cheddar.

 

I apologise for not have any photos of the resulting supper, but I was too busy eating it!

 

–Ann Cathey

Crock Pot o’ Ham

Do you have a frugal streak and like to buy holiday hams after the holiday when they are on sale, but don’t have a lot of freezer space to store them? I discovered a trick for rendering those shoulders and haunches into serviceable size pieces.

Buy smaller hams to begin with. The price per pound won’t be any different, and while you do get a bit more bone, for this project, I find it worth it.

We started with an 11 pound ham. It was placed into a crock pot flat side down. Some of the pointy end of the ham did have to be sliced off so that the lid would close. It was allowed to slow roast over night on a low setting. Nothing was added, as this was the first time this process had been tried in our kitchen.

In the morning, the ham looked whole and brown, and was sitting in about 4 inches of it’s own juices. The top seemed a little dry, but not excessively so. The bits that had been sliced off which had not been covered by the juices were practically jerky, but re-hydrated well. Using tongs and a fork, I peeled back the top meat, and removed the bones with a bit of a tug. They slid right out, clean of any meat or cartelidge. Likewise, the fatty bits were very discernable, and could be lifted or scraped from the meaty parts.

Some of the chunks of muscle were sliced, some pulled (shredded), and some simply eaten right off the mass. This enabled us to freeze whatever we didn’t need right then into smaller packages that fit well in the freezer. Other bits became pulled pork sandwiches and salad toppings immediately. Yet more was set aside for dirty rice (which turned out exceedingly well). The remaining meat was nibbled on as sandwiches and ready snacks for the next two days.

The broth, while salty and concentrated, was reserved for later use. The plan is to set up our New Year’s black eyed peas with some of it. By using the broth, there is no worry over bone flakes from a hambone, no need to add bullion or salt, and it’s ready to use. The broth may be frozen if it won’t be used within a couple of days, or simply kept refrigerated.

Another portion of the broth, the leftovers once the meat and fat has been removed from the crock pot, had two pounds of split green peas and lentils, 12 oz of spinach, and 4 cups of water added. The resulting pot of peas cooked quickly and served as supper and breakfast. Given a little less fluid and some form of lard and appropriate spices, it would easily have become refried beans.

I’m calling this experiment a success. Given that 11 pounds of ham (fat and bone included) was rendered into meat components for at least five 4-person meals, broth for at least 2 more meals, scraps to supplement several more meals for our House Husky, and 2 dog well-cooked bones for her as well, we managed to stretch this out a lot further than we had expected.

Depending on the need for the next foray into slow roasting a ham like this, we may season it with roasted garlic, or cinnamon and ginger.

We’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out!

— Ann Cathey

 

PS: Sorry I didn’t include photos for this entry. The Holidays are a bit nuts at our house!

Stock vs. Broth?

Stock, broth and bullion are very closely related in the culinary world. They are often confused with one another, one term being inappropriately used for another by many people. They all may be made from vegetables, beef, chicken, other meats, and combinations of these materials. Hopefully some of the material below will help with removing any confusion.

Traditionally stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water. This is an excellent use for tops, peels, stems and ends that will be strained out of the stock before it is used. Meat stocks are common and include the bones and attached bits, and require a longer simmering time than vegetables alone. The gelatin released by long-simmering bones gives stock a heavier or fuller mouth feel than broth.

Broth is the term for the liquid strained off a stock. It is also defined as a basic soup where the solid pieces of flavoring meat or fish, along with some vegetables, are left as part of the dish. It is often made more substantial by adding starches such as rice, barley, or potatoes, thereby becoming a soup by definition.

Bullion is dehydrated stock available in cube or granulated form. It normally has a great deal of salt in it both for flavor and as a preservative.

Personally I like to keep commercial bullion in the spice cabinet and commercial broth in the big cabinet. One never knows when it will come in handy. When I have the material available, I make my own stock.When we cook or buy a roast chicken and have stripped the carcass, I will boil the bones, then simmer with vegetable bits like carrot tips and potato peels. The resulting strained broth is then put to good use immediately as a soup base or the beginnings of a pot of chicken and dumplings. I do the same with pork, beef, or venison bones, either using the strained broth for something immediately or freezing it. Home made stock or broth is much lower in salt than the commercially available products. It is also not always relegate to a single meat products. It is not unusual in my kitchen for a stock to contain bones form a couple of different animals, and the broth works out really well.

Home made stock, once strained into broth, can be used as a replacement for water in lots of recipies from simple rice to biscuits to whatever your imagination desires. The broth adds distinctive flavors to whatever it is used in. White rice cooked with a broth instantly becomes a poor man’s pilaf to be eaten alone with a bit of butter or as a side to any dish that calls for rice.

This is something to keep in mind this holiday season when you are slaving away in the kitchen. Don’t waste all that flavor when you could be simmering it into stock!

–Ann Cathey