Okay, who am I kidding — I always want to impress at a potluck. I want everyone to look from afar and say, “Who is that girl? She’s captivating!”

“And her layers of cheese and meat are enchanting!”

This is my absolute favorite lasagna ever(!) and it comes to us from Gourmet (RIP!). It combines everything that I love in a single bite: A flavor packed, vegetable-laden bolognese, a creamy sauce, melted cheese, tender pasta, and a very flavorful ground beef. All of the best aspects of pasta, layered together a single dish.

You’ve got a little drool on the corner of your mouth. Yeah. Right there.

I’m going to post the original version of the recipe with the caveat that I change some of the ingredients into the lower fat versions (1% milk, lean ground beef). The issue that I run into with using the lower fat versions of things is that the lasagna ends up a little drier than the “fat version” might be. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not like cardboard or anything. It’s still moist and the noodles are tender and the cheese is fantastic. The taste is really incredible. But by substituting the whole milk ricotta, whole milk and ground beef chuck, you do lose a little bit when you translate with healthier products. I personally don’t care because the taste is amazing and I don’t feel like I’ve dumped heavy lead in my gut after eating a slice, but that’s me. What you prefer is up to you.

Lasagne Bolognese with Spinach
Adapted from Gourmet

Bolognese
1/4 cup olive oil
3 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds ground beef chuck (not lean)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

Ricotta:
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 (15-ounce) containers whole-milk ricotta
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup whole milk, divided

For assembling lasagne:
12 Barilla no-boil dried lasagne noodles (from 1 box)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Prepare the sauce: Heat oil in a 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes.

Stir in wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 1 hour.

Ricotta filling:Put spinach in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and twist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Note: I used my wire strainer for this, and pressed down on the spinach with dry paper towels. I’ve tried both methods now and like using the strainer better.

Whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup milk; set aside. Whisk spinach into remaining filling with remaining 1/2 cup milk.

Assemble and bake lasagne: Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Soak noodles in a bowl of very warm water until pliable but not softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel (it’s not necessary to pat noodles dry). Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in baking pan and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between.

Note: I cut this recipe in half and baked it in an 8×8 pan, so my layers look a little different.

Spread half of spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 Tbsp parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat.

Top with remaining bolognese sauce, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and remaining 3 noodles. Pour reserved ricotta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.

Cover pan tightly with buttered foil and bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

In the meantime, I wanted to revisit the potluck discussion we touched on last week. Best potluck main dishes — what are they?

When my mom and I were discussing potluck dishes, the chili wasn’t the only one that sprang to mind. I also thought of this Chicken Pot Pie recipe that was recently published from, of course, Cook’s Illustrated.

I’ve cooked a few pot pies in my life and eaten even more, and I’m convinced this is the definitive recipe. Yes, the sauce is magnificent and the veggies are amazing. But most importantly: It has the most amazing crumbled crust on top. Yep, I said crumbled.

Bye bye, rolling pin.

For starters, the crust can be made entirely in a food processor. To ensure that it stays super crispy, it’s baked twice. Mmm…

Chicken Pot Pie With Savory Crumble Topping
Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated

Crumble Topping
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Filling
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
2 small celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and sliced thin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% lowfat milk
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup frozen baby peas

Now before we dive into this, I need to tell you — this recipe is a time commitment. It’s something you make on a weekend only when you’ve got a couple of hours to burn.

But it’s so very, very worth it.

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until chicken is just done, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

So here’s my set up for the broth. I strained it out into a mesh strainer and caught little bits of fat:

So there’s a very good reason to strain the broth, and it’s not just to eliminate more fat. Texturally, that stuff sucks, especially when you’re trying to make a silky sauce.

2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour.

I did this all in the food processor, which made the whole thing painless. Pulse butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and pulse until just combined.

My topping was still looking like a fine powder (because of the processor) so I stuck my fingers in there and pinched spots, just to make sure it was damp and “clump-able”.

Crumble/clump mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to ¾ inch each onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

Couple shots of the finished product, so you can see that it’s still pale but slightly crisp in the middle, and the edges are just a little browned.

Do NOT bake this until it’s entirely crispy, because it’s going to bake again. This initial baking will keep the crust from soaking up all of the sauce and getting mushy, and will allow it to all crisp up nicely in the final baking. If you bake it all the way in this step, it’s going to be an inedible, burned waste in the end.

3. FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

4. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes.

Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste.

I know — the soy sauce and tomato paste seems a little out of place for a pot pie but trust me. Do it.

Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are well browned, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes.

So you can see that there’s a difference between this picture and the one above it. In this final mushroom shot, there’s a really nice, thick broth that’s formed. Don’t stop cooking the mushrooms until you start to get that nice, thick broth.

Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside.

5. Now for the roux, which will turn into a delicious, velvety sauce. Of course it’s a montage shot! You’re surprised?

Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

6. Combine! Stir chicken-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce.

Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling.

Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Dig in.

The premise of the TV series goes like this: Bobby finds some dude or chick who allegedly makes the best of something. Bobby and his team of assistants then come up with their own version, arrive on the scene with a camera crew, and do a big cookoff (aka a “throwdown”) to see who makes the better dish. Kind of like West Side Story, but with cooking. (When you’re a Flay, you’re a Flay all the way, from your first poblano to your last dyin’ day?) Typically the dishes are really fun, homespun foods like spaghetti, lasagna, cookies, mac and cheese, the kind of food any American could get behind, and you can find the recipes either at the Food Network website or on Bobby Flay’s website.

I didn’t see the sloppy joe throwdown on television, but it looked good when I was perusing his website. Bobby’s version is actually called “Neat Joes” because they’re more of an open-faced sandwich set atop toasted, garlic-butter-smothered sourdough bread. My bread was cut into very thick slices so I could just pick it up with my hand and shovel it into my mouth, rather than negotiating with a fork. This format also makes it a great option for picnic food. Serve with some red wine and you’ve got a winner. And you’ll have to forgive the photos — it’s not easy taking a refined photograph of a sloppy joe.

I really liked the smoky flavors in this. My fear was that it was going to be really spicy, but it was actually a mix of savory and sweet. To ramp up the spice, add more chipotle to the BBQ sauce and some of the inside rib of the poblano to the meat. I didn’t really know what to expect so I only put in one minced chipotle and the sweet parts of the poblano chile.

One note before we get into this recipe. First, I didn’t cook this on a grill, I cooked this in an oven. In order to roast my chile and pepper, I did it in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil. I put that into the instructions in case anyone else needs to oven-roast theirs as well — it only takes a couple of minutes to do and clean up is a snap.

Throwdown Sloppy Joes, AKA Neat Joes
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown

BBQ Sauce (or you can use 1 jar Mesa Grill BBQ Sauce)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 cups ketchup
½ cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 diced chipotles (depending on how spicy you want it)
¼ teaspoon chile de arbol or cayenne
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons molasses
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

Sloppy Joes, AKA Neat Joes
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
1 cup red onion, small dice
1/2 cup small dice roasted poblano chile
2/3 cup small dice roasted red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/4 cups Bobby’s Mesa Grill BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
1/4 cup water
1/4 ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro, plus more for garnish
8 pieces of buttered, garlic bread (recipe below)
1. Place oven rack in upper third and turn oven on to broil. On a lined cookie sheet, place the whole poblano chile and red bell pepper. Every 1 1/2 – 2 minutes (or when the sides of the vegetables start to roast up by turning a little brown), turn them about a quarter or third of a turn, and repeat until the outsides are roasted. Remove from the oven, turn the oven off and let the vegetables rest. As they cool, they will soften. Dice into small pieces.

2. Heat the oil over high heat in a large high-sided sauté pan until the oil begins to smoke. Add the beef, breaking it up into small pieces using a metal spatula or wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

3. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the poblano, bell peppers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ancho powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add the BBQ sauce, ½ cup of water and the ketchup, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the mustard, Worcestershire, honey, brown sugar and molasses, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Return the beef to the pan. Remove the cover and continue cooking until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro.

4. Top slices of the garlic bread with some of the sloppy joe mixture, sprinkle with cilantro or parsley.

Okay, I know this looks like a lot of instructions — it’s a little deceiving. Start by making the BBQ sauce. All you do is throw it into a pot, let it cook, then give it a whirl in your processor. Then leave it sitting in the processor to cool while you get the beef ready. In the very end, while the beef is simmering for the last 15 minutes, you’ll toast up your bread. I did mine in the oven on the same cookie sheet I used to roast my vegetables. All in all, these joes took about 45 – 60 minutes to put together from start to finish, and was a really fun dish for a summer evening. I will definitely make this again.

Garlic Toast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices sourdough bread, cut ½-inch slices

1. Combine the butter and garlic in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the butter is melted, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler. Put the bread on a baking sheet and broil until both sides until lightly golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the oven and brush with the garlic butter.

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but I’m certain it’s obvious from the things I usually cook. I’ve said it before, but I feel it’s worth restating: After a full day at work, the last thing I want to do is get into a long and detailed cooking project. I’m hungry right then and there, and don’t want to wait. I know I’m not alone.

Whether or not you can blame me for being phobic about complicated meals is neither here nor there, because it’s finally caught up with me. I’ve been searching for a challenge and better food.

But how to define “better”? Everyone has their own idea of what that should mean and rightfully so, as food is such a personal experience. For me, I simply wanted a dish I could relate to, but also gave me a foodgasm (for lack of better wording, I make them up). I wanted something that tasted delicious, and I needed to get over my fear of cooking something fussy.

Thomas Keller is most famous for the fabulously fussy, high class restaurant, the French Laundry. CC could tell you all about the experience, I’ve never been. It looks interesting… but I can tell it’s just not for me. So when I walked into Bouchon, clad in mirrors, white linens, dim lighting, and a laid back atmosphere with refined comfort food, I felt like I had found my soul mate in dining. Keller often jokes that he opened Bouchon so he’d have somewhere to eat after cooking at the French Laundry all day. French bistro dishes are something he’s had a passion for all his life, and is the kind of food he also gravitates to. Our dining experience was fantastic and as soon as I got home from my trip, I ordered the Bouchon book.

And then it sat on my shelf looking really sad and pathetic for about another month. That’s how long it took me to psych myself up to actually make something out of it.

I’ve had lots of macaroni and cheese, and I believe I’ve eaten the boxed kind once. Maybe twice. I don’t care for it. The kind my mom used to make has a lot of onion, pepper and, dare I say, Velveeta “cheese”. Yes, with the quotation marks. The funny thing is that I actually really like it (we liked weird things in the 70′s — don’t even get me started on architecture and interior design of that era). What makes mom’s so delicious and wonderful was not just the sauciness, but the onion and pepper. Keller’s Macaroni Gratin capitalizes on that and takes it to a whole new level.

The base of the dish is a white Mornay Sauce, which is a pretty common sauce with cheese added. Most surprising is that there’s more cream than cheese. For a macaroni and cheese dish, you’d think it was the other way around. I spent a half hour just letting the cream simmer, then added only 1/2 cup of grated Emmenthaler at the very end.

Mornay Sauce
Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon

4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup diced Spanish onion
Kosher Salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 2/3 cups milk
1 1/3 cups cream
1/2 tsp freshly ground peppercorns
3 cloves
1/2 cup Emmenthaler cheese

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 – 3 minutes or so the onion is translucent. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the roux doesn’t burn or color. Whisking constantly, add the milk and cream and whisk until fully incorporated. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then add the bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves. Bring back to a very gentle simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, reaching into the corners of the pan for about 30 minutes. If the sauce begins to scorch, pour it into a clean pan – don’t scrape the bottom of the pan.

Remove the sauce from the heat and season to taste with salt, a grating of nutmeg, and a pinch of white pepper. Strain the sauce, add the cheese and whisk to melt.

Makes 3 cups.

Even those of us who have only enjoyed boxed mac and cheese know what to do at this point: Assemble!

Macaroni Gratin
Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon

8 ounces small elbow macaroni
3 cups Mornay Sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
Nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Emmenthaler cheese
3 tablespoons panko

Put a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender; drain. Rinse under cold water and drain on paper towels.

Add macaroni to Mornay Sauce and mix well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour into an 8-cup gratin dish, 9×15 inch oval, or individual baking dishes. Sprinkle the top with cheese and panko.

Place the gratin dish on a baking sheet in order to catch any sauce that may bubble over, then place in the oven. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees F and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and bubbling around the edges. If the gratin has not browned, turn on the broiler to brown the top.

I made a few other things for our 4th of July celebration, but this was the clear winner. The creaminess was unbeatable and I love the way the pepper and onion are brought out. Crisping up the panko and cheese on top gives the dish that fantastic texture — if you don’t do that, you’ll just have lots of cream and it may come off as goopy after a while. The next day, we reheated this in the oven on 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes and it retained the creaminess.

Dish rating: A

Pork Tenderloin with Burnt Brown Sugar, Orange Confit, and Thyme
Courtesy of Peter Kaminsky, and Michael Ruhlman

2 boneless pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
6 pieces orange confit, about 2 inches each
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon coarse salt (or to taste)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons oil from the orange confit

Lay the pork tenderloins on a work surface. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Tear the orange confit into 1/2 inch pieces and distribute over the top surface of the meat. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme and half the salt. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top and pat it down firmly with your hand. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil from the orange confit. Preheat the chapa or a large square cast iron griddle over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles. Using a wide spatula, lift the pork tenderloins one by one and invert them sugar side down onto the griddle. Do not move them for 5 minutes. If the sugar begins to smell unpleasantly burned, adjust the heat by moving the griddle and lowering the flame. When the sugar side is well browned, turn the tenderloins. Cook on all sides for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until done to taste. The internal temperature should be 135 degrees for a rosy pink. Remove the meat to a carving board and allow to rest, tented with foil, for 10 minutes before slicing.

Orange Confit

4 oranges
3 bay leaves
12 whole black peppercorns
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup white wine
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Cut the oranges in half. Squeeze the juice and reserve for another use. Place the squeezed orange halves in a 3 quart saucepan. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, 3 tablespoons olive oil, white wine and water to cover. Add salt and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until the orange peel is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the liquid. When cool enough to handle, drain the oranges. Tear the peel into rough strips about 1 inch wide. Place a strip of orange peel skin side down on a work surface and, using a very sharp paring knife, scrape away every bit of the white pith. Place the strips of orange zest in a bowl and cover completely with extra virgin olive oil. This will keep, covered tightly in the refrigerator, for at least a week.

I kept my orange confit in a Gladware container, because Padma told me to.  This is what mine turned out like, with wilted spinach (again) and a Devil’s Tower of Mashed Potatoes with Bleu Cheese and Garlic Scapes.  

Word count before Chef Tory reference:  48.

~Citizen Chef

So when my spouse and I crossed paths with his Southwestern style restaurant, Mesa Grill, I was surprised. I was even more surprised when my spouse said he wanted to try it out. He takes a bit of time to warm up to certain kinds of food and I was pretty darn sure he had never eaten Southwestern style, so I was leery.

The menu was blown up quite proudly outside, so I quickly skimmed it over. At first I was surprised that it wasn’t a low-class hamburger joint as I had expected, but something so much more.

The food looked dangerous — racy with spice and lots of ingredients we had never tried before. There wasn’t even a single burger on the dinner menu. I was always up for an adventure, but I didn’t want to get in there and watch my spouse get served up something he didn’t like, because then I’d just be bummed out. So I decided for the both of us that we weren’t going.

Instead, we went a couple of restaurants down to a hibachi/sushi place — that absolutely sucked. The grilled asparagus starter was so over-salted that the tips were inedible. I got a beef teriyaki that was grilled to the consistency of shoe leather. Tom’s sushi was apparently not that great, either. Chalking it up to food karma for snubbing Bobby Flay, we left a poor tip and made plans to visit Mesa Grill the next night.

We had an amazing dinner. I can’t find our appetizer on the menu now, but it was small, homemade tortillas with grilled chicken on skewers, caramelized onion and fresh cilantro served as a tiny, build-your-own-fajita type of deal. They were amazing and simple and I could have eaten an entire plate of them. Next, we shared an entree. (By the time we got in to eat it was 12:30am Eastern time, and I was too tired to eat much, which is why we shared.) We had the Spice Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. If you want to see a photo of the dish, I found one here, taken by another happy diner. You’ll have to scroll down the page just a little bit to see it.

The pork came to us medium rare, as ordered, with one savory sauce and a second sauce that brought a little bit of heat. We scarfed this down and walked out of there with our eyes opened to a whole new style of cuisine.

When I got home, I was chatting with Citizen Chef about my Vegas trip, and the one thing I kept coming back to was our dinner at Mesa Grill. Sure, Bouchon was amazing, but I had expected it to be. Mesa Grill, on the other hand, was eye opening and gave me a whole new respect for Bobby Flay and his style of food. CC made a comment that I thought was appropriate: “It’s nice to know that at the heart of (the fame, the hype, the television, etc.) is a real chef.”

He’s right. I picked up the Mesa Grill cookbook and started making some of Bobby Flay’s food. So far I’ve totally mangled everything I’ve touched (LOL) but I’m not giving up. I’m very interested in this whole new world of Southwestern flavors and I’m determined to get good at it.

My new Food and Wine magazine hit my mailbox this week (and their freaking website) and I was thrilled to see they had a feature on Bobby Flay, who provided them with a few of his recipes…

…for hamburgers.

Okay, I’ve learned that it’s a lot harder making Bobby Flay’s food than I originally thought, but I can definitely make a hamburger.

Bobby Flay’s Beef Burgers with Peanut-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
Adapted from Food & Wine

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons pure ancho chile powder
1 canned chipotle in adobo, minced
1/2 cup water
3 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 hamburger buns, split
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (3 ounces)
1 scallion, finely chopped
Lettuce and tomato slices, for serving

In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the tomato puree, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, honey, molasses, ancho chile powder, chipotle and water. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender. Add the peanut butter and puree until smooth. Season the barbecue sauce with salt and pepper.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the cut sides of the buns with oil and grill until toasted, about 30 seconds. Spread some of the barbecue sauce on the buns.

Form the meat into four 1-inch-thick patties and brush with oil. Season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat, turning once, until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Brush the burgers with some of the sauce and grill until lightly glazed, about 2 minutes. Top with the cheddar and scallion, close the grill and cook just until the cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Set the burgers on the buns, top with lettuce and tomato and serve right away.
Make Ahead
The barbecue sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

My only real beef (get it?) is the amount of barbecue sauce this makes. Even halving the ingredient list gives you enough for dozens of burgers. I think the thought process behind it is that because it can be kept for up to 2 months, you’ll be bringing it out and using it on other meats for the rest of the summer. In defense of this thought process, the sauce is quite delicious. I could best imagine it going on grilled chicken. By itself it is incredibly spicy, but spread only on the buns and the burgers, mounded with cheese, vine ripened tomatoes and crisp lettuce, an overbearing spiciness wasn’t a factor. In fact, I didn’t really even get the spiciness when eating it. It also wasn’t overbearingly barbecue-y — okay, not a word. What I mean by that is, with any other barbecue sauce, especially jarred, I’m always railroaded by an overbearing tangy zing that dominates the meat. In the case of store-bought sauces, the sauce becomes the star and the meat is sort of an afterthought. With this little bit of added sauce, everything is complimented and the flavors of the meat and vegetables really shine through.

Nice work, Chef.

As if you had any doubts as to my cooking method, I made this on my George Foreman and it came out beautifully. The grill was set to high heat and I toasted the buns first, then I put a bit of vegetable oil on the grilling plates before adding the patties.

During the cooking process, I kept the Foreman open, not closed. This meant a longer cooking time, but I was fine with that. I actually think it came out better this way, because compacting your hamburger can often lead to poor results.

Cooking these on an open Foreman actually worked out well. I used a beef with 20% fat, which both Bobby Flay and America’s Test Kitchen recommends.

Of course, off the top of my head I can’t remember why, but I’m pretty sure it’s a good reason. It ended up being one delicious burger, so they’re definitely on to something.

I served my burgers with a glass of red wine from Francis Coppola’s vineyard and baked onion rings by Alexis, which are typically found in the organic section.

…

I had bananas and wanted to make a little bread with it. Over the years, a lot of the banana breads I’ve tried have ended up very dry. The only one that didn’t called for an 8-ounce block of cream cheese and I didn’t have that on hand. So, I went searching for something new.

This loaf is surprisingly moist and incredibly dense. At first I was a little disappointed because I used an extra-dark chocolate which made the first few bites ultra-chocolatey.

It’s okay, though. I got over it.

Next time, though, I’ll use regular cocoa. Also, for anyone who usually puts in baking shortcuts like me, I wrote this with my methodology that skips sifting all of the dry ingredients except for the cocoa, which I dumped into a strainer and shook out. I prefer strainers over sifters because they’re a lot easier to clean. (Hello, Mr. Dishwasher!)

After the batter came together, I was very worried because it’s a lot of batter for a small baking dish. My fear was the dough was going to rise and double. But it doesn’t, which is where the moistness and denseness comes in. On the back end of your bite, the banana flavor kicks in, creating a subtle, tasty treat. Maybe you won’t feel good about eating this for breakfast, but maybe later with a small cup of coffee…

Me? Oh, I had no qualms eating this and licking it off my fingers when I was done.

Cocoa-Nana Bread
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking – From My Home to Yours

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup store-bought chocolate chips

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of one another. This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from overbaking.

In a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for one minute, until softened. (My butter had been sitting out overnight, so I skipped this.) Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer to low speed and mix in the mashed bananas.

Sift the cocoa powder into the bowl, and add the salt and baking soda. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add each cup of flour one at a time, mixing until just combined. Add the buttermilk, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate and scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark and continue to bake for another 40 – 45 minutes or until a thin knife in the center comes out clean.

(Note: My loaf pan was 8.5×4.5, so my loaf of bread required another 10 – 12 minutes of baking.)

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the bread and unmolding it. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

Let’s all, as cooks and foodies, take that next step in the Food Revolution and start giving a crap about where we get our food.  But make no mistake, this is not a high moral stance.  I admit, supporting the local economy by buying local organic foods makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  But the bottom line is, that if you buy your vegetables locally they can ripen in the ground and not on the Sysco truck, and that makes them taste better.  And that makes cooking them easier because you are halfway to the end zone from the get-go.

The last time I took a cooking class with Chef Tory(word count of article before I mentioned Chef Tory or L’etoile was 215, for those of you scoring at home) he told us why the food at his restaurant was so amazing.  “I make really good stock, and I buy the very best local ingredients I can.  And then I just don’t mess them up.”  This is not rocket science.  We have a leg up on all those French Chefs from 100 years ago because we don’t need to make a sauce to cover up the fact that the meat we are serving it over is spoiled.

I used to think “organic” food was hippy-dippy bullshit.  I cringed when a chef mentioned that they were “all about the ingredients”.  As opposed to what??  “Seasonal cooking”?  Bah!  I’ll cook what I want when I damn-well feel like it.  But now I understand.  Their food tastes better because the stuff they make their food out of tastes better.

Which leads us to this recipe.  And a bit of an admission.  I had to go off on a rant there, well firstly because it’s fun, and kind of my thing.  But secondly because the lovely Mrs Citizen Chef deleted the pictures I had taken of this dish, so I needed something to fill the space.

The main impetus behind making this was I had over-wintered spinach from the farm to use up.  And if you’ll notice, the spinach part of this recipe could not be more simple.  Wilt the spinach with some oilve oil, throw on some salt and that.  is.  it.  I gilded the lilly a bit by putting some 25 year old balsamic on at the very end, but what the heck.  It was amazing.  And the shrimp in romesco sauce was awesome as well.

Shrimp In Romesco with Wilted Spinach Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes, Servings: 6 Note: From “The Zuni Café Cookbook” by Judy Rodgers. Romesco base 2 tablespoons raw almonds (about 12 nuts) 1/4 cup hazelnuts (about 32 nuts) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped drained tomatoes or peeled ripe tomatoes 1 1/4 cup mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 ancho chile 1 1/2 ounces chewy, white peasant-style bread (about 1 thick slice), crust removed 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled 1 teaspoon l’Estornel brand red wine vinegar or other red wine vinegar fortified with a few drops of sherry vinegar 1 teaspoon hot paprika 1/2 teaspoon mild paprika Salt 1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Drop the almonds in a small pot of boiling water and leave for about 10 seconds. Drain, slide off the skins, and rub dry. Set aside. 2. Roast the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet until the skins darken and start to split, 10 to 15 minutes. While they are still hot, bundle them in a towel, then scrunch and massage them to rub off most of their skins. Pick out the nuts and set aside. 3. Turn the oven to broil. Spread the tomatoes one-half-inch thick in a small, shallow baking dish. Trickle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and broil until the tomatoes char slightly and bubble, a few minutes. Remove from the broiler. 4. Reduce the oven heat to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, pour a few cups of boiling water over the chile and leave to swell for a few minutes. Drain and then stem and seed the pepper. 5. Pour olive oil to a depth of one-half inch into an 8- or 10-inch skillet and set over medium-low heat. Test the temperature with the edge of the slice of bread; when it barely sizzles on contact, reduce the heat slightly and add the bread. (You may need to cut the bread into pieces so it fits into the pan in a single layer.) Check the underside at 1 minute; it should be beginning to color. Fry until it is the color of cornflakes, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain and cool on a paper towel. 6. Thickly slice the garlic, then pound to a paste in a mortar. Scrape into a processor and add the chile, fried bread, almonds and hazelnuts. Grind to a fine, moist paste, scraping the sides frequently. Scrape in the tomato and process to a paste. Add the vinegar, paprika, the remaining extra-virgin olive oil and salt to taste. Taste; it should be bursting with flavor, although not overly spicy. The flavor of the paprika will come out over time. 7. Spread the paste in a thick layer in a small, shallow baking dish and bake until the surface has turned dark orange with occasional flecks of brown, about 8 minutes. (Makes about 1 cup. Can be made up to a week in advance.) Shrimp and assembly 1 cup chicken stock, shellfish fumet (concentrated stock), water, or a combination 3 tablespoons dry white wine 1/2 cup yellow onions 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp in their shells or just over 1 pound peeled shrimp 3/4 pound spinach, stemmed, carefully washed and dried 1. Bring the stock, fumet or water and the white wine to a simmer in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the romesco base. Taste for salt. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. As this brew cools, the crumbs will begin to swell and soften, which will give the sauce a nice texture. 2. Place the diced onions in a 3-quart sauté pan with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Cook over medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the romesco and warm through, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook gently, turning each one over once in the thickening sauce, until the shrimp are just firm and opaque, about 4 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. 3. Meanwhile, warm another 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and sprinkle with salt. Gently turn and fold leaves until they are uniformly wilted and bright green. Taste for salt and add another trickle of oil if the spinach seems lean. 4. Divide the spinach among warm plates. Arrange the shrimp on top. Taste the sauce, and correct the salt. The romesco should be fluid but thick; reduce briefly or add a splash of water if it seems either watery or pasty. Spoon the sauce over all.

~Citizen Chef

Here at AwK, there’s been an ongoing behind-the-scenes debate with the authors about Cook’s Illustrated. As much as we love CI, as well as their entire entourage of magazines and books, not much is free.

No one here has a problem with that — we get it. You’ve heard my rants about Food & Wine magazine and how I can’t justify paying for a magazine that has all of the recipes listed online before my magazine even gets into my mailbox, but the upside is that I have no problem cooking their dishes and reposting them here.

CI’s a little more tricky. Their business model eliminates advertising and instead relies on actual subscribers. Crazy, I know, but for this very reason we’ve been reluctant to have a free-for-all reposting of their recipes. So that’s why you haven’t seen a lot of CI/America’s Test Kitchen, as much as we love ‘em.

You will, however, get a periodic one from me. I justify it like this — I pay for a magazine subscription and an additional fee for an online description, which should allow me to post something awesome from CI at least once a month. And, I agree, if I post then I should at least try to get you to buy the magazine. Here goes: If you love delicious food and you’re looking for a fantastic cooking magazine that eliminates fluffy articles (that you won’t read anyway) and pages upon pages of advertising (that you will ignore), Cook’s Illustrated is the way to go.

Now with my apologetics and endorsements out of the way, here’s something that kicks ass: Indian-Style Curry with Potatoes, Cauliflower, Peas and Chickpeas.

The first time I had the pleasure of eating this was a couple of months ago. The recipe had been published in the recent “Soups & Stews” magazine that I had picked up back in March, and was the first thing out of the magazine that I made. From the first bite until the last, I couldn’t stop myself from making all kinds of obscene noises, that’s how good it was.

Not that my spouse minded.

Indian-Style Curry with Potatoes, Cauliflower, Peas and Chickpeas
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

2 tablespoons curry powder (sweet or mild)
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
12 ounces Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 – 1 1/2 serrano chiles, ribs, seeds, and flesh minced (I used 1 jalapeno)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 medium head cauliflower, trimmed, cored, and cut into 1-inch florets (about 4 cups)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
Table salt
8 ounces frozen peas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Plain, nonfat yogurt (as garnish)
4 cups cooked basmati rice

Toast curry powder and garam masala in small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until spices darken slightly and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove spices from skillet and set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and potatoes are golden brown on edges, about 10 minutes. (Reduce heat to medium if onions darken too quickly.)

Reduce heat to medium. Clear center of pan and add remaining tablespoon oil, garlic, ginger, chile, and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add toasted spices and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute longer. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring constantly, until spices coat florets, about 2 minutes longer.

Add tomatoes, water, chickpeas, and 1 teaspoon salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in peas and cream or coconut milk; continue to cook until heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning with salt and serve immediately, passing condiments separately.

It’s delicious and obscene noise worthy. Serve this up on top of cooked rice. At the time I was out of basmati, but it was still great on top of cooked jasmine. Indian dishes can be topped with an assortment of things like chutney or a relish (which CI has recipes for if you’re interested), but I like mine with plain, nonfat yogurt. The yogurt also helps cut down on the spiciness if you went a little overboard with the peppers.

Weeknight Cooking: A
Overall Cooking: A-

The obscene man-crush on Fabio from Top Chef isn’t a shared feeling; though I do feel that Fabio is a great chef.  (news on the Fabio front)

Another thing that we share is our inspiration for, and enjoyment of, is Pho. Pho (pronounced “Fuh” by most people – actually, the pronunciation is a variable as far as I can tell, as no one pronounces it the same way twice) is a world famous Vietnamese noodle soup involving beef and beef related products swimming with some rice noodles and a nice clear beef broth. That is Pho Bo (aka Beef Soup). There is also a chicken related Pho, but that could be another post. So for our purposes, we are going to concentrate on the beef soup.

This is the Pho I made!

Now you may be asking yourself, “Self, why would Squidlegs really like a Vietenemese dish since he is not, pretty obviously, from said region of the world?” And you would be asking yourself a very good question. And I have an answer for you… And yourself. Recently on the wonderful “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” there was an episode where he and his old boss from his restaurant in New York got up early just to go eat a good bowl of Pho for lunch. Yes.. There was that much waiting around. But they both agreed that it was worth it. If Tony says something is that good, I gotta go try it. I was inspired. I ran right out and… Well I totally forgot about it. Forgotten, until Citizen Chef came back from vacation, talking about Pho and how it was pretty darned good.

So then he and I had to try it together. On his home turf, we made arrangements to go try a good Vietenemese place near by. But it was closed the night we were going out. So his town actually had a second Vietenemese restaurant. Off we went. And it was pretty darned good.With some spring rolls and slow food delivery, we made a good time of it and enjoyed the food. We also made commitments that he would try the place we were going to be trying and that I would try the one restaurant in my neck of the woods. I managed to pull one over on Citizen Chef though, because two nights later, I went to other restaurant in his town and tried Pho again. Sneaky, aren’t I? It was pretty good. I thought that the broth, one of the key components, was a little lacking, but I did get this batch of Pho to-go, so I may have missed some of the nuances in the really hot broth or fresh noodles. I also tried the restaurant in my home town and, again, while good, wasn’t great! so the quest continued.

Now, all of the above was a set up for me telling you that I have the secret to good American Pho. I say American Pho as I am sure many of our Vietnamese readers or friends will tell you that no one over here can really get the ingredients or knows the secrets of real Pho. But this stuff is pretty damned good if I do say so myself. I found this recipe online (please check out the full page for the recipe… it’s somewhere in the middle.) All of the pictures in this post are from my attempt at cooking this, but the writer of the blog above also has some great pictures.

Finished Broth

THE BROTH 2 onions, halved 4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise 5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle 1 lb of beef meat – chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional] 6 quarts of water 1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag] 1 1/2 tbl salt 1/4 cup fish sauce 1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) – or 1oz of regular sugar

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you’ll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning – if you want a little more flavor, add a few dashes more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or large pinch of regular sugar).

Everything ready for the broth

THE BOWLS 2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh) cooked beef from the broth 1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible. big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil 2 limes, cut into wedges 2-3 chili peppers, sliced 2 big handfuls of bean sprouts Hoisin sauce Cock sauce (Sriracha)

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible – try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles – there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that’s needed. The package that I purchased (above) – needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Everything needed to make a good bowl of Pho

There are a couple of notes about the recipe above.

• I used flank steak and I got a little over a pound. I used half for the broth and then shredded it for the actual bowl and then thin sliced the other half for the “raw’ portion that gets cooked by the broth.
• The broth is really fatty if you use soup bones, so at one point my kitchen looked sort of like the soap-making scene in “Fight Club,” but without the chemical burns. Just fair warning, you will want to use a ladle and get the first inch to two inches of liquid off the top of the broth before proceeding to the second 1-1/2 hour simmer. I actually poured the liquid into a seperator and out of 4 cups of liquid, had less than a cup of broth, all of the rest was fat.
• It doesn’t say to, but I toasted the spice pack before I put it together. I recommend that. It was really nummy!
• This is not a race, take your time. It will take a whole afternoon to make this.
• While I was at the store getting items for this dish, I found some beef/tendon meatballs in the asian frozen food section. I highly recommend that in addition to the other meat in the dish. You boil them for 15 minutes right out of the freezer and cut them in half and put it in the soup bowl, as I did. I really encourage you to add this, as it brings a great flavor and texture to the game.
• There are a couple of other condiments that you should consider.
  • Chili Garlic Paste (found in asian sections of big grocery stores, or oriental food markets
  • Beef Paste, found in the same place
  • Fried Minced Garlic, which I actually didn’t find, so I didn’t try it, but I have had it in a restaurant and it adds another layer of flavor.
• About the hoisin and “cock” sauce (so called because of the rooster on the bottle, get your minds out of the gutter!), you don’t see it in the photos, but I did add it. It is about a tablespoon of each, but that will spice it up, so you may want to use less of the cock sauce.

So that’s it. The secret to great Pho. It was awesome and I am not just saying that because I gloating. Though I am. It was just really, really good. And once the excess fat was removed, it is even pretty healthy. I hope you try it and enjoy!

Squidlegs