Now, two of my personal favorites!

Meeshie’s World shared the World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls ^[3] – and I will be trying them for my grandson, the cinnamon roll king!

And now on to the PARTY! ….

There are a few rules –

Please leave a comment for your host!  When we comment, we not only help our blogs to grow, we help each other with great ideas!  (and I’ll pin posts from the folks who leave comments!)

Only food related posts!  Recipes, food review, even linky parties  -If it is about food, please share it!

Please visit two or three other posts and comment on them.  This is what helps us all grow!

Note:  By linking up you are giving the Lazy Gastronome to use your posts as future features on the blog.  And thank you!

So let’s party!!

This Vietnamese soup is becoming all the rage!  Traditionally it is made with beef, but you can also use shrimp – since the hot broth cooks the meat, I would recommend pre-cooking any other meat you might choose.  But the most important thing:

It’s All About the Broth!  This warm, fragrant broth is what makes the dish.

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What you need:

• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 3-inch piece of ginger, skin removed
• 1 carrot, cut in half
• 2 3-inch pieces of cinnamon stick
• 2-3 whole star anise
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole coriander seed
• 6 cups beef broth (see note)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (not low sodium – you can use tahini to make it gluten-free)
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce (a watery sauce found in Asian markets or the Asian section of the grocery store)
• 2 cups cooked rice noodles (also referred to as rice sticks)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons canola oil
• ¾ pound beef sirloin (traditional pho is beef, but you can also use shrimp)
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 2 limes, quartered
• 1-2 cups mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh herbs chopped (use cilantro, mint, Thai basil – or a mix)
• Sriracha sauce

How to Do it:

Place the beef in the freezer until it is slightly frozen and firm.  This will make it easier to slice very thin.

 

Place the broth, onion, carrot and ginger in a medium kettle or saucepan.  Dry toast the spices (coriander, star anise, cinnamon and cloves) by placing them in a hot, cast iron pan.  Continue heating the pan, shaking the spices to prevent burning, until they become fragrant.  Place the soy sauce, fish sauce and spices into the broth and bring to a boil.

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Turn down the heat and simmer the broth for 30 minutes to an hour.  It will reduce, but add water if it reduces below about 4 cups.  When it’s ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and spices.

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While the sauce simmers, cook the noodles according to the package directions.  They will be very sticky, so coat them gently in canola oil (flavorless oil) to prevent it.

Remove the beef from the freezer.  Cut at a slight angle as thin as possible and then into 2-inch strips.

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Prepare the condiments, but keep in mind that Thai chili is HOT.

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Place the noodles, beef and condiments in the bowl first.

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Top with the HOT broth.  The heat of the broth will cook the meat.

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Serves 4

 

 

NOTE:  You can make your own beef broth by simmering marrow bones (you can get them from the butcher) in water with salt.  Simmer for 3-4 hours adding salt as needed.  The marrow gives the broth a very rich flavor.  Freeze in single quart bags for future use.

 

© Copyright 2016 The Lazy Gastronome

I’ve seen borsht made as a rich broth with chunks of beets and potatoes, and I’ve seen it creamy and smooth -served hot and cold.  Which ever way you do it, this recipe is easy and tasty!!  The two of us ate the whole pot!

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What you need:

• 3 large, fresh beets
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups russet potato, skinned and cut into ½ inch cubes
• 4 cups beef broth
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper (I use white, but black will work)
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Topping:

• ¼ cup sour cream mixed with
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley

 

How to Do it:

First, roast the beets.   ^[22]

Wash them and remove the greens (but don’t throw them away – you can sauté them and eat them like spinach!).  ^[23]

Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over them and roast at 350 degrees for about 20 – 25 minutes, until they are fork tender.  Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.  You can remove the skin by running them under cold water and gently rubbing until it all comes off.  Any that won’t can be carefully removed with a knife.  Cut the beets into ½ inch cubes.  I like to cut them in the pan to make sure I can recover any juices that come out during the cutting.

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Using a medium kettle or large saucepan, sauté the onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until they are starting to soften.   Add the broth, potato, salt and pepper and simmer about 45 minutes to an hour, until the broth is bright red and the vegetables are tender.

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Add the pepper and the vinegar.

Serve hot or cold.  Often the cold borsht is pureed before chilling.  To do this, just put it in a blender and whirl!

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Top with a dollop of the sour cream/horseradish mixture and sprinkle with parsley.

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Serves 4

 

 

© Copyright 2016 The Lazy Gastronome

This super easy soup takes only minutes to prepare, then heat.  Just add a sandwich, like grilled cheese, and you have a great weeknight meal!

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What you need:

• 2  15-oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes
• juice of ½ lemon
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ cup of chopped, fresh basil
• ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan (not the stuff in the can)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 cup of cream
• 1 Tablespoon of butter, melted

Crostini:

• 1 sourdough baguette
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
• 1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan

How to Do it:

Process the first six ingredients in a blender on puree until it is a fairly smooth.  Pour into a large sauce pan and bring to a low boil, then reducing heat to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

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Slowly stir in the butter and the cream, whisking, and cook on low for about 15 minutes.  Be careful with this step.  If you add the cream to fast or don’t whisk it, the citrus will curdle the milk.

In the mean time, cut the baguette into slices on an angle.  Using a pastry brush, brush the butter onto each piece.  Evenly sprinkle the parmesan on each piece.

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Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  When the bottom starts to brown slightly, move the pan into the broil and cook until the cheese is melted and the sides are starting to brown.  Remove from the oven.

Garnish with a few drops of cream swirled on the top and serve with the crostini.

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Makes about 4 servings

© Copyright 2016 The Lazy Gastronome

 

I was featured on Tasty Tuesdays!

Although it was hard to choose, here are two of my personal favorites!

A Sprinkle of This and That shared these amazing Lil’ Orange Cakes ^[40]! I’m ready for dessert!

And now on to the PARTY! ….

There are a few rules –

Please leave a comment for your host!  When we comment, we not only help our blogs to grow, we help each other with great ideas!  (and I’ll pin posts from the folks who leave comments!)

Only food related posts!  Recipes, food review, even linky parties  -If it is about food, please share it!

Please visit two or three other posts and comment on them.  This is what helps us all grow!

Note:  By linking up you are giving the Lazy Gastronome to use your posts as future features on the blog.  And thank you!

So let’s party!!