Soup's Up

Baby, it is cold outside. And there is no greater savory comfort than SOUP. For today’s recipe we have vegetarian (or faux) pho.

“Having experienced this pho, I feel that the waves of jealousy washing over me at this moment are completely justified.” – Anonymous house guest #1 posting in response to this photo on Facebook. Come on! You can trust Anonymous house guest #1, it’s 2 through 6 I worry about.

Now the recipe I have posted on Foodbuzz is just the beginning. Pho can be highly seasonal if you are willing to take tradition and dance la cucaracha on its sombrero. My pictures show some of the healthy and tasty variations with which I have experimented. Carrots (use a mandolin with teeth blade in to slice these really thin or a peeler if you don’t have one) and red onion ( again with the mandolin but no teeth) are still available at your farmers’ market as well as your grocery store. 

The addition of julienned red bell pepper is more of a summer addition, and good broccoli may be hard to find in the winter, but Brussels sprouts shaved thin will cook up just fine when you pour the boiling liquid into the bowl. Green and red cabbages shaved thin are also delicious. Treating the cabbages with a little vinegar beforehand will soften them up and flavor them even more. Leading us to this dish’s hero…

Hero of this dish: Rice Vinegar

Like so many other broth-based dishes, pho can be a little flat and heavy. Just a tablespoon of rice vinegar will give your broth a hint of sweetness and acid, making your soup lighter and more complex.