Weeknight Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho

Pho is my death row meal. It is the food I’ve probably eaten the most of on tour, and while I love the best of it, I’ll still relish the most mediocre bowl. Despite this, it’s a food which for a long time I thought it impossible to make at home in a satisfying or practical way. And for beef pho, this remains true. But chicken is a different story.

Yes, you do need a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe. If you don’t have one, but do have 3 hours to spare, check out Deb Perlman’s excellent chicken pho recipe on Smitten Kitchen. But, assuming you do, here is one SERIOUSLY Satisfying chicken soup, truly ready in under an hour.

Serves 4

45 minutes

• 1/2 Lb. dried rice noodles (“Banh Pho” or similar)

• 1 Whole chicken

• 1 Yellow Onion, unpeeled, cut in half

• 1 3” piece of ginger, unpeeled, cut in half hamburger style

• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, cut in half hamburger style (yes, right through the middle)

• 1 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds (or 1 tsp ground, whole is preferred)

• 1 whole star anise pod

• 3 Tbsp. Brown sugar

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• Salt and MSG to taste

• White pepper to taste

To serve:

• any combination of basil, cilantro, mint, scallion. The more the merrier

• (optional) thinly sliced onion

• (optional) 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced, fried until light brown, salted and drained (makes it less of a weeknight meal but fresh fried shallots are insanely good)

• Sriracha (optional but recommended)

1. Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with the hottest water available from the tap. Prepare other ingredients while noodles soak.

2. Move the oven rack to the highest position and turn on the broiler. Place the onion, garlic and ginger cut side up on a sheet pan and char under the broiler until blackened in spots. Garlic will go fast, the onions take longer. Remove as needed, and add to the pressure cooker.

3. Break down the chicken, saving the breasts for another use. Place the legs and thighs along with the carcass, neck, and wings in the pressure cooker, along with the coriander, anise, and any cilantro stems or scallion whites you have from your herbs.

4. Cover with water to the 2/3 mark and pressure cook on High for 18 minutes. Remove pot from heat and shock under cold running water until pressure is released*. While the broth cooks, prepare the herbs for serving.

5. Carefully remove the legs and thighs from the broth with tongs, shred, and set aside. Strain the rest of the contents of the pressure cooker through a fine mesh sieve into a pot. Make sure it is at least 6 quarts. Discard the solids.

6. Season the strained broth with fish sauce, salt, MSG (if you have it - recommended) and brown sugar. Add in increments, tasting for sweetness and salty-savoriness. It may take more of both than written. Salty should be the lead flavor, with sweet in a supporting role, and it should be a little too salty, as the bland noodles will dilute it. Have courage. Once seasoned, add a few light dashes of white pepper.

7. Return the broth to a boil, while portioning the noodles into bowls along with the shredded chicken. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles and chicken (this will help the noodles finish cooking) and serve with the chopped herbs, onion or fired shallot (optional) and sriracha.

*I’m not sure you can do this with an Instant Pot. If it’s not an option, just use the valve to release the pressure. the broth will not be as clear, but will otherwise be the same.

Practical Pad Thai

From Josh

I’ve eaten a lot of pad thai over the years, and I have learned two things: 1. It is a LOT of work to make it the way restaurants do and 2. Restaurants almost always make it too sweet. This recipe seeks to rectify both of these things.

However, pad thai is still a bit of a “technique” recipe, and although this comes together quickly, it has a lot of ingredients and may take a few tries to get it right. But trust me, it’s well worth the effort.

To set expectations: You will spend 80% of this recipe on prep, and 20% actually cooking. It is very important that you get all of the ingredients prepared and on hand near the stove before you turn on the heat. I also highly recommend you read the whole recipe first.

Serves 2

1 hour

• 1/4 cup neutral oil, divided (4 tbsps)

• 1/3 Lb of dry rice noodles - medium thin

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp fish sauce + a bit more

• 2 Tbsp water

• 1.5 Tbsp white vinegar*

• white pepper

• 2 eggs

• 2 large or 3 medium shallots, finely chopped

• 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped (no need to take it to minced)

• 1/2 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thigh, thinly sliced**

• 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, divided

• 4 whole scallions, cut into 1-inch segments, white and green parts divided

To Serve:

• Lime segments

• fresh bean sprouts (optional)

• 1/2 the chopped peanut

• red chili flakes

1. Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with the hottest water you can get from the tap. Set aside and allow to soak until very pliable and nearly cooked. Prepare other ingredients as noodles soften.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the brown sugar and fish sauce, stirring just until the brown sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat and add to a small bowl with the water and vinegar. This is important: Taste the sauce - it should be sour, salty and sweet; no one flavor should dominate. Adjust in small increments as needed.

3. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with a dash of fish sauce and a pinch of white pepper

4. Prep the remainder of the ingredients, then arrange them all in small bowls near the stove as follows: The eggs, the protein, the garlic with the shallots and scallion whites, the noodles (strained once ready), and the sauce. Place the scallion greens and 1/2 the peanuts in a LARGE bowl.

5. Heat a large pan or wok over high heat with 1 Tbsp of the oil. when shimmering, add the egg and spread around the pan until just cooked. It will take seconds. chop roughly with spatula and put in the large bowl with the peanuts and scallion greens.

6. Add another tablespoon of oil, and cook the protein. Shrimp cooks fastest - 25 seconds a side unless very large. Give chicken a minute a side, and firm tofu as long as it needs to get some browning. Once cooked, add to large bowl with the egg/peanut mixture.

7. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by the garlic, shallot, and scallion whites. Stir for about 15 seconds, then add the rice noodles, stirring to combine. Add the contents of the large bowl, then add the sauce around the SIDES of the pan, so it hits the metal directly and sears. Stir vigorously to combine.

8. As soon as the sauce is well combined, turn off the heat. check to make sure the noodles are cooked through, and taste for salt, adding more fish sauce as desired. If the noodles are still rubbery, add 2 Tbsps of water and return the heat to high, stirring vigorously.

9. As soon as noodles are fully cooked, transfer all contents directly to the large bowl and serve immediately with lime wedges, chili flakes, the remaining peanuts and optional beansprouts to taste.

* Note: Authentic pad thai uses 4 tbsp sour tamarind pulp instead of white vinegar. If you’re making this on a weekend and want to really take it up a notch, buy a pack of sour tamarind pods (available at many larger groceries and all international groceries) and make tamarind pulp. Or, if you have a good asian grocery nearby, seek out pre-prepared tamarind puree (sometimes called tamarind concentrate) and use a little less. Do NOT buy anything made in India. It’s different and REALLY strong.

** Note: OR 1/2 pound de-veined, tail on raw shrimp OR 1/2 pound very firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2 cubes. All are great.

Beans and Rice Deluxe

From Josh

From a dorm room staple to a more elevated weekday standby, this dish has been evolving with us for a long time. It now contains some authenticity atop its collegiate roots, but it comes together quickly (make the beans while the rice cooks) and is a healthy, nourishing, cheap and flavorful option, especially for lunch. Doubles easily.

30 Minutes

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

• 2/3 cup white rice

• 1/3 chicken bouillon cube

• 1 tbsp neutral oil, butter, or lard (whichever you prefer)

• 1/2 yellow or white onion, diced

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1-2 chipotles in adobo* with about 1 tbsp sauce (the chiles control the heat. adjust to taste, but don’t skimp on the sauce)

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 14.5 Oz. can low-sodium black beans

• 1/2 lime

• salt (or Sazon Adobo**) and black pepper to taste

To Serve:

• a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

• the other half of the lime, in segments

• shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. In the basin of a rice cooker or instant pot, rinse the rice in cool water, swirl it around, and strain thouroughly to remove excess starch. Add bouillon to 3/4 cup of warm water and break it apart, then add to rice and cook.

2. In the meantime, heat the fat in a medium skillet on medium until shimmering. Add the onions and cook with a pinch of salt and some pepper until translucent. They don’t need any color - about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, chilis in adobo, cumin and oregano and combine until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add the beans and their juice, scraping to deglaze. If all the liquid boils off quickly, add a few tablespoons of water. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has gotten thick enough that it just flows in the pan. Season to taste with salt (or Sazon adobo) and pepper and a small squeeze of the half lime.

5. Once the rice has cooked and rested in the cooker for a few mintes, juice the rest of the half lime into the rice, fluff, and serve with a generous ladle of beans and their sauce on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sharp cheddar, and lime segments.

* Note: The use of the word “adobo” can be a little confusing in Latin American cooking. With “Chipotles in adobo,” we refer to canned, smoked jalapeños in a tomato-ey sauce - an important flavor for this recipe which is luckily pretty ubiquitos in stores with an “international” aisle and is guaranteed at any mexican grocery. In a sealed container, these will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

** “Sazon Adobo,” confusingly, is a seasoning along the lines of seasoned salt which is ubiquitous (especially the one made by Goya) in many Latin American kitchens. It contains many of the flavors already in this recipe, but turns them up. It is less common to find in American groceries, but is almost always available at Mexican groceries, and one container lasts a long time.

Ray's Birthday Cake

This is basically a "German Chocolate Cake," except that the cake part is a different recipe, taken from the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook, and the icing recipe is somewhat enhanced, mostly in quantity.  You need a total of 7 eggs.

I used to make this as a layer cake, in 3 layers, lining them with parchment paper and all that, but it's a hassle and I found that I would end up eating the layers separately, anyway.  Now I make it as a sheet cake, in the largest pyrex pan that I've got, which is almost 10"x15".  If I had a larger pan, like a lasagna pan, I'd use that, but you can make do with 9"x13", or you could use multiple smaller pans.

 Cake

2 c  sifted cake flour

3/4 c cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg whites

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c shortening (crisco)

1 1/2 c sugar

2 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Start by separating the 2 eggs, putting the whites in the bowl for beating to warm up, retaining the yolks.* 

Sift some cake flou; measure 2 cups of it back into the sifter, then add the cocoa, baking powder, and salt to the sifter and sift it all together into a bowl.  If you decide to skip this step, I am not responsible for the result.

Make a meringue of the whites by beating them to soft peaks, then slowing adding the 1/2 c sugar while you continue to beat.  Remove to a second bowl.

Cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 c sugar.  Add the yolks and beat well.  Add the flour/cocoa mixture alternately with the milk/vanilla in about 4 steps, mixing thoroughly after each addition.  Gently fold in the meringue by hand.  Pour into greased baking pan(s).  Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean.  For the 10"x15" pan, that's 25 minutes.  For three 9" round pans, it's less, more like 20 minutes.  Be careful not to over bake.

Icing

1 large can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

4 T butter

1 1/2 c chopped pecans (I usually use roasted, salted pecans)

2 1/4 c grated coconut

1 T vanilla

Combine evaporated milk, sugar, yolks, and butter, in a large saucepan (nonstick is good).  Bring to a boil.  You can do this on medium-high heat if you stir often, and stir constantly when it's about to come to a boil, as that when it's most like to burn, which is a drag.  I use a whisk.  Once is boils, start timing 12 minutes of boiling.  Stir often, alternating between a whisk and some flat-bottomed wooden spoon and/or heat-resistant silicone spatula, to make sure none of it hangs out too long in one place on the bottom of the pan.  By the end of 12 minutes, it will be pretty thick and a light caramel color.  Remove from heat; add pecans, coconut, and vanilla.  Spread on the cake.

You can, of course, eat some immediately, but it will get better over the course of the next 24 hours.  Freezes well.

*Since I use the same KitchenAid mixer bowl for both beating the meringue and mixing the batter, I do the whites first and then transfer them to a holding bowl.  I used to beat the whites directly in the second bowl with hand mixer.  Your call. 

Jim's Spicy Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for Soup: 

(Heaping) cup coarsely chopped onion (Ruth's job)

3 Tbls vegetable oil (may require a little more) 

5 corn tortillas coarsely chopped

6 cloves minced garlic (more is fine, less is unacceptable) 

1 Tbls chopped cilantro (or more!)

10 3/4 oz cans of tomato puree 

2 quarts chicken broth

2 Tsps of chili powder 

1 Tbls cumin 

1/8 Tsp cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

2 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, chopped

Directions: 

Chop onion and set aside. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chopped tortillas, garlic and cilantro until tortillas are soft. Add chopped onion and cook a little longer before adding tomato puree, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Stick bay leaves in your ears (they will do as much good here as they do in the soup). When you are ready to serve, heat the soup through and add chopped chicken, warming until chicken is warm. 

Directions for garnish: 

Cut 5 or more tortillas into thin strips and fry in hot oil over medium high heat. HINT: to get them crispy you will need to wait until the oil is very hot, and don't try to cook too many at once. Garnish soup with tortilla strips, cubed avocado, shredded cheddar cheese (sharp) chopped cilantro. Enjoy immensely.

Grilled Corn Salad with Lime, Red Chili and Cotija

Chef: Shannon Fuller

Ingredients

• 8 ears fresh corn, silks removed, husk on, soaked in cold water 30 minutes (or use Trader Joe's roasted frozen corn)
• Canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 2 limes, juiced and 1 zested
• 1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup grated cotija cheese

Heat grill to high. Grill corn until charred on all sides, 10 or so minutes. Take off the grill and remove the kernels with a sharp knife. While you are cutting the corn, put a cast iron skillet on the grill to heat.

Add the corn and the remaining ingredients to the hot pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until creamy and heated through. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (with Mike's mom's pie crust)

Crust (Mike’s mom’s recipe)

½ cup flour

1 ½ Teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Stir ¼ cup of milk (we used buttermilk) and ½ cup of oil (we used canola) in with the above ingredients right in the pie pan. Spread dough out around the pan evenly (and up the sides)

Chill in the fridge while making the filling.

Filling (America’s test kitchen recipe)

1

Pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (7 cups)

1 ¼

cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar

1

pound strawberries, hulled, halved if less than 1 inch, quartered if more than 1 inch (3 to 4 cups)

3

tablespoons flour

1.       While dough chills, combine rhubarb and sugar in bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave until sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute longer. Stir in 1 cup strawberries and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Drain rhubarb mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over large saucepan. Return drained rhubarb mixture to bowl and set aside. Add remaining strawberries to rhubarb liquid and cook over medium-high heat until strawberries are very soft and mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 to 20 minutes. Mash berries with fork (mixture does not have to be smooth). Add strawberry mixture and flour to drained rhubarb mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.

Crumble topping

In a bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup light-brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and teaspoon cinnamon.

Cut 1 stick chilled unsalted butter into pieces ¼ inch pieces. With your hands, work in butter pieces, until large clumps form.

Prepare: 
Head the oven to 350 degrees

Put the pie filling into the pie pan with the chilled dough spread evenly on the pan

Make sure pie filling is evenly dispersed

Cover the top in the crumble mixture

Bake for 1 hour to an 1 hour and 10 minutes (make sure it is boiling the whole way through). Don’t let the top get too brown.

Butternut Squash Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash- peel and cube (dont forget to scoop out the seeds)
• 3tablespoons maple syrup
• 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 pound pizza dough
• 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
• 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
• 1 cup arugula

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into cubes and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the squash on a  baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake the squash until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. (should be fork tender)

Keep the temperature on the oven at 375 degrees F. Roll out thepizza dough on a flour dusted piece of parchment paper to a 13-inch diameter. Place the pizza and the parchment paper on a baking sheet. --- I buy pillsbury doughboy pizza dough- it cooks super fast and put on the cheese after the dough is almost perfectly cooked- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the bleu cheese on the pizza dough. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked through and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

 Top the cooked pizza with the cooked squash. Top with arugula (or spinach ) and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Slice and serve.

Grandma's Spinach Souffle

Set oven to 350 degrees. Cook the spinach and drain it - make sure to get all of the water out then loosen with a fork. Mix all ingredients together in a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered in the oven for an 50 minutes to an hour (time really varies by oven).Test by inserting knife halfway from side to middle. Should come out clean. A little spinach or cheese could show but not  runny stuff.

Ingredients: 

2 pkgs. chopped frozen spinach

l can mushroom soup

1 8-oz. jar (1 cup) Hellman’s mayonnaise (could use Light I believe tho I don’t)

2 Beaten eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 large onion very finely chopped  (from Grandma - "I would leave this out if I could get away with it—just joking")

Grandma's Thin Pancakes

Bet you can't beat a young Shannon Leigh Turner's record - 14 in one sitting!

¾ cup of milk (warm up a little bit) (sometimes I add extra if batter is too thick)
2 TBLS melted butter
1 egg
mix together in a bowl

½ cup flower
½ tsp baking powder
¼ salt

Serve with powdered sugar and jelly and roll up like a burrito