Peering Down the Pie Hole - Rustic Apple w/ Sage and White Cheddar

I tend to go for the gender/bender kind of flavor combinations when it comes to dessert. I don't know about the rest of you... but ice cream with bacon, or pancetta brittle sounds pretty damned good to me. I like the play of savory against something bracingly sweet.... Nothing really finishes a meal more perfectly than a well thought out cheese plate

Those of you that follow us on Twitter or FB know that I did a pig roast this past weekend for my birthday. I'll talk about it more later in the week, but I bring it up because of one of the sides that went into the magic box.
I made a compound butter with parsley, sage and black pepper - and stuff it deep into cored granny smith apples.

They got wrapped in foil and spent the afternoon simmering away in the box with the pig.
They were, in short, fabulous.
I loved that herbaceous scent folded through soft, tender, tart apples.

And that got me thinking...
If sage made baked apples so much more than just an apple - then how would it do in a pie?

As a matter of fact, It does quite well. The sage isn't overpowering; adding just enough height to the pie to elevate it to company worthy.

Here's the thing:
The pie is lactose free but not dairy free (you know, the cheddar), but - Daiya© Makes a dairy free Havarti  and a pepper/jack Havarti and if you wanted to go that route, I think either would work perfectly.. even with the pepper kick... for more of a brunch kind of vibe.

Rustic Apple Pie
with Sage and White Cheddar
Serves 6 -  This makes 1 small 8" pie. With the crust, cheese and filling - it's a pretty rich thing. The recipe will easily double if you wanted to make the pie for a larger crowd. In that case, I'd probably make 2 small pies so they'll be easier to manage.
Ingredients
1/2 of your favorite pie crust recipe (if you're going gluten free - grab Simply Gluten-Free's GF Pie Crust Recipe)
2 Gala Apples
1 Teaspoon Fresh Sage Chiffonade
1 Tablespoon Self Rising Flour
1 Tablespoon Butter Substitute (Make sure you use something with less than 50%water)
1 Ounce White Cheddar
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Sorghum Syrup
Pinch Salt
Baking Sheet
Large Mixing Bowl
Spatula
Rolling Pin

Preheat the oven to 375
Leaving the peelings on, core the apples and slice thinly
Roll out the dough into a rough 12" circle and place on the baking sheet
Chiffonade the sage - roll the sage leaves (about 4 make a teaspoon) into a tight cigar and cut across the tube into very thin slices
Thinly slice the cheddar
Place the apples, sage, sugar, flour, syrup and salt into the bowl and mix well to coat all the apple pieces
Pour the mixture into the center of the prepared dough (leaving about 2 or 3" exposed all around) and fold up the exposed dough over the apples - leaving the center open
Dot the exposed area with the sliced cheese and butter
Place on the center rack and bake for 35 minutes at 375
Cool in the pan to room temperature

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Garden Project 2013 - Children of the Hay

As with all living things, our offspring and progeny  begin flexing their muscles, testing the waters and moving out on their own... even the Hay Garden has not been spared.

Through the past three seasons, I've poked and prodded the limits of the bales, trying to coax out the best possible production from this unorthodox medium... with mixed results.

• Courgettes, tomatoes, and cucumbers - all perform beautifully producing ample stock for the summer growing season.
• The okra, while it never ceases to amaze me how well it does, But with 8' plants it really strains the ability of the hay bales. By mid summer I'm already augmenting the medium with additional garden soil just to keep the root system cool and moist.
• Greens and Root vegetables... not so much. I've been awash in lackluster, affected plants with little to no production

So things must change.

Tomato Bales:

Judging by my past season notes, I'm sticking with Pink Brandywine, Parks Whopper, and Better Bush. I know, only one of those is an heirloom. 

Here's the thing - Trying to grow in a challenged medium is tough at best. Having to deal with white flies and assorted tomato pests when I'm trying not to use copious amounts of chemicals is even worse. Heirlooms haven't been inbred with critter deterrents - hybrids have. So, to insure that I get a satisfactory production from the plantings, I'm sticking with the only heirloom that successfully fended off the predators - and two other strong producing varieties.

I'm augmenting the bales with three patio tomato plants set into last year's hay mulch for salads, saute's. and the like.

The Tomato Ground Lease:

Since the bales just suck for growing greens, I've planted the conditioned earth in front of the bales with Savoy Spinach (the dark, curly leafed stuff I grew up on... not that pale crap they sell in the market), Red Leaf Romaine and Curly Leaf Lettuces, and Chard

 Vertical Potato Hills:

Something new this year are the vertical hills. Each cylinder contains 18 potato slips.

One tower contains Kennebec Potatoes, the other is standard Russet














The "hills" are 2' diameter wire cages, lined with hay.
Inside are layers of composted leaves, 10" garden soil, and 6" top soil - with a layer of 6 potato slips before
the process is completed. to recoup my costs, I'll need to harvest double the number of potatoes to consider this a viable venture








Okra:
Truthfully, I fully intended to plant the okra in the bales this year. It's worked perfectly fine regardless of their height and constant watering.
But early this spring I bought cabbages for a bed on the back side of the house...

... aren't they pretty?  They are Farao and Purple Cabbages - an early quick maturing variety.
Checking on them last weekend, I find this:

In case you don't know what you're looking at - this is a bolting cabbage. "Bolting" means the cabbage is going to seed. Intense cold, or extended cold temperatures at just the wrong time will trick the cabbage into thinking it's dying and for it to seed.

Bolting cabbages will never make a head.

Bolting cabbages just take up space.

Bolting cabbage flowers aren't pretty.

So I dug them up and planted Dwarf Long Pod Okra in the bed... and down the walkway to the bed... and in the azalea beds on the other side of the walk. If my trip to Crazytown proves fruitful, I'll have something over 85 okra plants.... I'm thinking of becoming "that guy" selling okra on the side of the road.

Onions:
Around each potato hill are 30 onion slips.
30 Spanish
30 Late Season White
The front real estate for the courgette beds has been planted with 30 Shallot and Garlic bulbs

Courgettes:
Picking my favorites from past seasons, I'm sticking with Patty Pan (a white, scalloped squash), Grey Zucchini (the only variety with flavor), and Butternut (a late season, oblong hard squash)

Peppers, Peppers, Peppers and Aubergine
I went a little overboard this year on peppers and chilies. The day long - beat down on your head - sun in the garden treats them well, so I'm taking advantage of it this year.These are all planted in 3 yards of garden soil mixed with 5 yards of last year's hay mulch and another 2 yards of old hay on top for weed control.

This year's crop is:
Cowhorn, Big Jim, Basque Fryer, Tabasco, Habanero, Pasilla, a mild variety of Jalapeno,and Thai Chili.

In with the peppers are Greta White and Lavender Jewel Eggplant.

The Last Bale:
Last year's okra spot is being sublet to 1/2 Runner Pole Beans or Cranberry Beans (I haven't decided yet). It's the best non- direct spot in the garden and they should do very well.
That bale's front space is planted with Detroit Red Beets.

Herbage:
This year, herbs have flown the coop. There is oregano and sage growing in amongst the rocks and stepping stones, Thyme, Lemon Verbena, Lavender and Rosemary are filling in between the shrubs in the conifer garden; peppery Nasturtium plants dot the front and side flower gardens; and the Greek Oregano and Mint have taken over the  retaining banks.

I'm looking forward to a stellar year.

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Gooey Gluten-Free / Dairy Free Pineapple Cake

It's not often that I see a food posting on some social networking thing and immediately run off to make it.
But, that's kinda, sorta, exactly what happened here.

Food.Com shared a photo of a "Do Nothing" Cake. And. if you know my baking skills, that sounded right up my alley.

Here's the thing - the recipe is stupid simple. So whether you do the original from them (click on the name to follow their link) or try my Gluten-Free version - you aren't going to have a lot of time or effort invested in it... so, in that sense, it's definitely a doer.

And, if the STUFF-MY-FACE-TIL-I-HIT-A-SUGAR-OVERDOSE actions of earlier this evening are any indication, anyone you make this for will think you hung the moon, or name a street after you, or lay beds of roses at your feet.

Seriously, it's that good.

Gluten Free 
Pineapple Cake with 
Seriously Gooey Topping
Serves 1, go make your own. Actually, it will generously serve 8
Ingredients
For the cake:
2 Cups Gluten Free Baking Mix
2 Eggs
1 Egg White
2 - 8 ounce Cans Crushed Pineapple
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste (or Extract)
2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
For the Topping:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (the canned type, not the daily dairy alternative)
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, plus 1 Tablespoon for greasing the pan
1 Cup Grated Coconut
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Other Things:
11x9x2"  Baking Pan
Spatula
Large Mixing Bowl
Strainer
Tin Foil for Tenting
Medium Sauce Pan

Preheat the Oven to 350
For the Cake:

Strain 1 can of the pineapple, leave the other full juice
Mix all the cake ingredients into the large mixing bowl and stir well to incorporate and eliminate all lumps
Grease the baking pan with the oil
Pour in the batter, dust the top with nutmeg, and place in the oven
Place a tin foil tent over the cake to reduce over browning
Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. (This is based on my particular elevation. You'll need to start watching it at 30 minutes. The cake is done when the center of the cake is firm and set.)
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour all of the icing (See below for those instructions) over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Cool to room temperature before serving.

For the Icing:

Over high heat, bring the coconut oil, coconut milk, and sugar to a boil
Reduce to medium , add the coconut and pecans, and allow to reduce by 1/3
Once it has thickened, set it off the heat and wait for the cake to be ready.  

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10 (tamales) the hard way

I guess first and foremost I should say these aren't what you'd call authentic tamales. I didn't learn to mix the batter on my Hispanic Nana's lap. There were no Mexican housekeepers bringing sacks laden with those beautiful little jewels when they came to the house. Nor, have I ever lived with anyone that made them.. I am the walking / talking embodiment of an Anglo/Saxon gene pool, and my childhood idea of a tamale came in those little glass jars stuffed with six paper-wrapped, cigar shaped cumin flavored cylinders. So, no instinctive knee jerk aptitude there.

But...
I worked for a time with a South American construction company.
We ate a lot of tacos... and tortas... and tamales. So I know a thing or two about them. Well, I know what I like and don't like about them. And, as it happens... I've eaten a lot of crappy ones, especially in Mexican restaurants.

For me- the masa should be dense, cohesive, flavorful - with just the slightest pudding consistency; the filling - plentiful, meaty with a couple of tasty surprises in it.... and there should be sauce. I'm less picky about the wrapper.

So... Tamales..
I knew I was going to cook something south(ish) of the border for Cinco de Mayo. But, with the constant rain the past couple of days, the idea of trying to keep anything crisp and crunchy, or getting anywhere near the grill for carne asada was going to be a bust. I opted for something worry-free and easy:

I had masa on hand. There was meat for a filling. I even had some fresh corn husks hanging out in the fridge still on their respective ears... so how hard could it be.

Most of the recipes I researched involved a long process of whipping the lard and folding in the masa. Just so you know, I split the masa in half and tried it both  ways.... it doesn't make any difference.  What does make a difference is hydrating your dough.

The trouble I have with the majority of tamales is that the masa capsule is d - r - y when everything finally comes out of the steamer. Most of the recipes I poured over had you mixing everything together just before you assembled the packets. I found that by mixing up the dough, covering it and letting it sit in the fridge overnight fixes that problem. And as a side note - I don't use baking powder. I found that leavening in the dough makes the tamales rather spongy for my tastes.

Since I was going to be behind the 8-ball getting all the components ready to make tamales first thing Sunday morning, I needed a way to quickly cook and infuse flavor into the meat filling - enter Mr. Pressure Cooker.

The pork was cooked in record time (30 minutes), and after a little shredding action...

It was all ready to go.

Let's talk wrappers for a minute.
I've used dried husks, parchment paper, tin foil (hell, even Coffee Filters) in the past. And while the husky things are probably the most attractive for serving purposes; there just isn't a lot of flavor there. Not to mention they're damned fussy and outright difficult to manage. But since I had the green husks I figured they would, at the very least, add some corny goodness to the tamale while they steamed - if not just being easier to handle. Yes, they were easy... yes, they smelled wonderful while they cooked and I could imagine tons of corn husk flavor permeating it's way through those masa boats. But after all was said and done - it really made no difference. They tasted like every other tamale I've made.
The moral of that story? Save yourself immeasurable amounts of trouble soaking husks and trying to figure out what to do with a 1/2 package of leftover dried husks - and use parchment paper.

Just so you all know - yes, these are Gluten Free.
10 Tamales
yes, 10. After all that work I got 10 (ten) little pouches of heaven. No wonder they cost the earth when you get them out at a restaurant.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Dough:
2 Cups Masa Flour
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Lard
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
For the Filling:
1 Pound Pork - Cut into Chunks, or 2 good-sized Blade Chops
2 Cups Water
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Clove Garlic
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1 Large Onion - Peeled and Quartered
For the Sauce:
All Retained Liquid
2 Large Tomatoes
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 Cup Diced Onion
1/2 Cup Diced Bell Pepper
2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Masa Flour
For Assembly:
1/2 Cup Chick Peas
1/2 Cup Pitted and Stuffed Olives
10 10" x 10" squares of Parchment Paper - or - 20 Corn Husks (Fresh, or dried and soaked)
Ball of Twine
Scissors
Pressure Cooker
Stock Pot
Tin Foil
Steamer Basket
Stick Blender (or regular Blender)
Strainer
Water


The day before:

In a large bowl, cut together the masa and lard with a fork until you have pea-sized granules of mix.
Add the spices and stock and mix well - you should have something about the consistency of peanut butter.
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.

The next day:

Place the pork and all the filling ingredients in the pressure cooker, seal, and cook for 45 minutes.
When finished, Carefully release the steam, remove the meat (retaining all the liquid and other stuff in the cooker) and let cool down until it's easy to handle
With the back of a fork, shred the meat into fine pieces. (See the above pic)
Set Aside
With the retained pressure cooker liquid, Add the remaining sauce ingredients (except the masa flour) to the pot.
Seal and pressure cook for 1 hour.
Again, carefully release the pressure and allow to sit.

To Assemble:

Place a husk, or square of parchment on a flat surface
Spread 2 tablespoons of the dough in the center of the wrapper, making a 1/8" thick rectangle
Place 2 tablespoons of the meat with a couple of chickpeas and 2 olives on the dough and top with another tablespoon of the masa dough.
Fold the sides up - rolling the dough packet together and seal, Fold the ends over the sides and secure both directions with twine.
repeat... repeat... repeat...

To Cook:

In the stock pot, Place 5 Baseball-sized balls of tin foil in the bottom of the pot.
Add enough water to come to the top of the foil balls
Add 2 Tablespoons of SALT to the water
Place the steamer basket over the foil balls and stand the tamales on end around the sides of the pot. (I've used a small inverted bowl in the center to keep all the tamales on end.)
Bring the water to a boil, Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and steam for 4 hours.

For the Sauce:

While the tamales are steaming (they aren't going to need anything from you for a while - that's why we increased the amount of water in the stock pot), Open the pressure cooker and puree the contents with the stick blender
Strain the liquid into a medium sauce pan and add the 2 tablespoons of Masa Flour
Whisk to combine
Cook over medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking

Now, yes you can stop here, serve up a big plate of 10 tamales with a gravy boat of sauce and call it a day. But - like I said - I like my tamales wet.

So, once the tamales have finished steaming, preheat the oven to 375, place the tamales and the sauce in a shallow baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake at 375 for 35 minutes... just enough time to allow the sauce to permeate into the masa a bit.
Then have at 'em.

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Peering Down the Pie Hole - Buttermilk Pie

Is it as good as it sounds?
Hella yeah!
In fact, my slightly bruised ego aside, Jane says it's the best pie I've ever made.

About a month ago, I come into the kitchen and find this...

on the kitchen counter with a note that said, "I want this."
 - Yes, that is a clothes pin.
 - Yes, that recipe does say tartlet and berries... ignore that for a minute

You know Jane can't eat chocolate, so unless she's muttering "chocolate pie" in her sleep (which she has been known to do)  I'm pretty receptive when there is something dessert-wise that she asks for.

Only...
They were nancy little tartlets in puff pastry... eesh!   I don't do fussy.
They had berries - she isn't a fan.
There was a 1/2 cup of heavy cream in the recipe - she's severely lactose intolerant.
So, wanting and getting were going to need a little attitude adjustment.

A Couple of Things:
1. The recipe is based on the Williams~ Sonoma New Flavors for Dessert Book, and the crust is (low-end) store bought readi-made. I make a point to say low-end because I've found that, by and large, discount and store brand readi-made crusts are dairy free. As opposed to... say something like Pillsbury or Marie Callander -  which typically have butter, milk solids, or whey. But, if you have your own favorite from-scratch crust you like to use - by all means...

2. I would normally have attempted this as a dairy free version, but those dairy-free buttermilk substitutes are just garbage, and I really don't think they would perform the way I needed it to. So this is a Lactose Free pie - but not Dairy Free.

3. Because it is a pie and not tarts the cooking time and the way I handled it are going to vary from the original recipe - meaning, if you decide to do tarts, my cooking times are going to overcook your tart.

4. The products I've listed (Tofutti and Land O' Lakes) are specific. I like, know and trust the results I get from Tofutti, and unlike other cream cheese substitutes - it's bakeable. Land O' Lakes margarine is oil and buttermilk solids with ZERO water added - so it is an even swap for butter in a recipe.

Think of the pie as kind of an icebox in flavor - but lighter. It has a little tang to it from the buttermilk, but not enough from the lemon to read citrus. Think cheesecake custard, and you'll be close.
All I know is that it was damned delicious.



Toasted Coconut Buttermilk Pie
Adapted from:
Williams~Sonoma - New Flavors for Desserts
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups Cultured Buttermilk
1/4 Cup Tofutti Cream Cheese Substitute
2 Tablespoons Lactose Free Milk
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Extra Large Egg Yolks
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Land O' Lakes Margarine
1/2 Cup Grated Coconut - divided
1 - 9" Readi Made Deep Dish Pie Crust
(or like I said, feel free to make your own)
9" Deep Pie Pan (if you're going that route)
Large Non-Reactive Sauce Pan
Spatula
Whisk
Sheet Pan

Preheat the oven to 400
Pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes on the middle rack.
Toast 1/2 of the coconut over medium heat until lightly browned - set aside
Place the remainder of the filling ingredients (except the margarine) in a non-reactive sauce pan and whisk well until smooth
Place over medium heat - whisking constantly - until the filling thickens to the consistency of pudding. This should take 8 to 10 minutes. Set the filling off the heat and stir in the "butter" until completely incorporated.
Place the toasted coconut in the bottom prepped pie shell and carefully pour the filling over
Top with the remaining non-toasted coconut
Place the pie plate on a sheet pant and bake for 15 minutes at 400 on the bottom rack of the oven
Lower the temperature to 350, move the pie to the middle rack, and bake another 15 minutes.
Cool on a rack to room temperature then transfer to the fridge to chill completely - about 2 hours.
Cut and Serve!

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Tales of Woe - That Brown Rice Salad

The TV is on most days throughout the day primarily as background noise. I don't really think about it being on anymore. It lightens my day when there's nothing going on except my own brooding, it keeps the terrors and worries of my career (or lack thereof) at bay; it keeps me company. But, most importantly - it's just on. Call me wasteful, pummel me about the head and shoulders for the abnormally large carbon footprint I'm leaving for future generations, I don't even care. I have persistent tonal tinnitus (Mine is a constant high "C" with a medium tone hiss that seems to hover somewhere about 6 inches from my head... all the time) and background noise is the only thing that stands between me and the express bus to Crazytown.

... so it stays on.

The other day while reading, I halfway hear Giada on the Cooking Channel talk about a Citrus Brown Rice Salad and my head checks in for a bit to listen in. I like rice salads.
Mentally, as she's talking, I'm making adjustments..

 -  "lemon"  egh, no lemon. That girl puts lemon in everything. I don't really think tart would work very well... and there's that whole thing with with citrus and starch break down.

 - "almonds" they're almost as cliche as sun dried tomatoes.

 - "brown basmati rice"  I did that once, I might as well have eaten cardboard cut into confetti. I do have some of that Integrale Brown Risotto Rice left that I got from Marx Foods a while back. That would be better with a little creaminess to blend things together.

I kinda followed the recipe she gave... there is rice, and a vinaigrette.... and some nuts.

So... why the Tale of Woe?
Unless you really dig brown rice, a little goes a long way. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being healthy, and it was very tasty, and it made a terrific side dish once for Hadji and a Couple of Thugs. But, it makes a boat load of rice salad. That's a serving each for Jane and me - and a big-ass container in the fridge that just sat there demanding to be eaten even when you aren't exactly feeling rice salad... that's kind of sweet... and tastes like oranges.
And, it doesn't come close to filling the late-night-stand-at-the-fridge-with-the-door-open-and eat-out-of-the-container snack mood.

By sheer serendipity, it did find it's way into several different versions of teriyaki fried rice over the course of the following week, though. Which - oddly - is probably the only reason I'd ever make it again.

Brown Rice Salad
adapted from Giada De Laurentis' 
Citrus Rice Salad
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
For the Salad:
2 Cups Brown Integrale Rice (feel free to use any risotto rice  or brown rice - or - for a slightly creamier brown, mix 1/2 and 1/2 with a risotto rice)
1/2 Cup Fresh Peas
3 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Cup Celery Tops - Roughly Chopped
1 Orange - Zested
3 Scallions - Finley Chopped
1/2 Cup Pistachio nuts - Roughly Chopped

For the Dressing:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Juice from the Orange you Zested
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
1/4 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
About 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (adjust for your own taste)
Other Things:
Rice Cooker
Sheet Pan
Large Mixing Bowl
Spatula
Blender


I could go into details about how to properly do brown rice - but to be honest, I use a rice cooker. Plop in the rice, glog in the stock and let it go... it tells me when it's ready. Do yourself a favor and get one.
You can thank me later.

So, Rice and stock in the cooker, wait til the light goes off and it's done. Dump the rice out onto a sheet pan and allow to cool to room temperature.
chop the nuts, scallions, and celery tops; place in the bowl with the cooled rice and zest - Mix well.
Place all the dressing ingredients in the blender and whirr around for 2 minutes
Pour over the rice mixture and mix well
Taste for additional seasoning and add salt as needed.
Let sit for 15 minutes or so before serving. The salad can be served room temperature and transports well to picnics, outings, or pot lucks.

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Shank'd - Faux Pho

I'm a horror when it comes to shopping at the international markets. I buy things that:

I have no idea what they are

or

What you're supposed to do with them

or

Buy just way too freakin' much of it.

or

Sometimes, all three.... shush...

My last outing, I bought 2 - 2.5 pound packages of white miso paste. In all fairness to me, one was miso + dashi, so that makes it all better...

Anyway, I bought them, I own them, and they live in the freezer waiting for that special day when they would earn their keep in my kitchen.
That would be today.

Photo Courtesy of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

So, I was poking around the meat counter the other day can came across a package of Beef Shank Steaks.
Two beautifully plump, thick marrowed, perfectly packaged 3" hunks of bovine nirvana... and I had to have them.

The thing was... I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them... like the miso - I just wanted them.

Last night I got the craving for a beefy, noodle y soup and I thought that those shank steaks would make the perfect base for a faux pho.

I'm calling it faux because:

1. The dish is Vietnamese
2. The Miso is Japanese
3. The 5 spice is...well, Chinese

So, kinda - sorta Asian Multicultural

Faux Pho

or

Miso Beef Shanks with Rice Sticks

Serves 2 (maybe 3)

Ingredients

2 Good Sized Beef Shank Steaks

4 Cups Vegetable Stock - Divided

3 Tablespoons  Reduced SodiumWhite Miso with Dashi

(If the miso paste you're using is sans dashi, Add 1 Teaspoon of Dashi Powder to each Steak)

2 Cloves Garlic - Minced

1/4 Teaspoon Red Chili Flakes

1 Shallot - Sliced Thin

1 Carrot - Cut into very thin rounds

1/2 Cup Shredded Cabbage

2 Scallions

2/3 Package Rice Sticks

(usually there are 3 pillows of noodles in a package - use 2)

Coat each steak with 1 tablespoon of the miso / dashi, place both in a large zipper bag with the shallots and garlic. Seal and let marinate for a minimum of 1 hour

Preheat the oven to 325
Place the shanks in a covered casserole (or dutch oven) and add 2 cups of the vegetable broth.
Cover and braise for 2 1/2 hours

Carefully lift the shanks out of the braising liquid and set aside to rest a bit
Skim off all the fat from the remaining liquid
Set the dish over medium high heat, add the remaining broth, carrots and cabbage, the remaining tablespoon of miso, the Chinese 5 spice and chili flakes, and bring to a boil
Once the stock is at a rolling boil, set off the heat and place the 2 bundles of rice sticks into the hot broth - allow to sit for 10 minutes off the heat.
While the noodles are steeping, push the marrow out of the bone and divide into half and thinly slice the shank meat across the grain

In 2 large bowls, divide and place 1/2 the noodles into each
Place 1/2 of the sliced meat with the marrow over the noodles and top each with 1/2 the vegetables and broth

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