Kitchen roundup

I have kept those of you in Codland waiting an unconscionable period for the outcome of not only  the controversial pot au pho, but also  Nigella's Moroccan fantasia. They were both ok. The pot au pho was a bit of an adventure--I topped off the  braising liquid with the remnants of a big bottle of Duboeuf Cabernet Sauvignon (I cannot bring myself to refer to it by the word appended to "taxi,")  and, well, a cheap bottle of red wine that has been open for about a week, and then gets reduced in a braise can be a bit ornery. I added some honey to pacify the thuggishness of the reduction, and ended up adding a fair amout of butter to the reduction at the end. I am a fan of  monter au buerre as a technique in general, but I had hoped to keep it more on the Viet, and less on the French side of things. Colonialism.
In any event, the rescue worked pretty well, and the brisket, sliced  over rice noodles, topped with reduction  and basil and a squeeze of lime, was pretty popular. My aim was to preserve the flavor of  pho, but address the lake of  broth that remains after you have fished out all of the solids from your bowl.  Curiously, It was actually better the next day, after a stay in tupperware, and getting knocked around in here. The noodles absorbed the flavor of the reduction, and it all seemed more amagamated. I am considering pursuing this effect deliberately, in a casserole, but I am not sure if the world is ready for a Viet-French noodle bake. Actually the fried onions widely available in Vietnamese groceries seem not so different from the Durkee  fried onion rings that are essential to this ineluctable delicacy of the heartland. It is, perhaps, a small world after all.
The Nigella garbanzo and aubergine thing was promsing, but too many omissions and comissions were made as a result of a late and distracted trip to the grocery that  I cannot offer any real appraisal, beyond saying that she seems to be on to something. I'd replace some of the water with good chicken stock, but I use stock in place of water to make just about everything but coffee.

Comments

[merlot]

First time at your site. Since you mentioned food and I just found these and wanted to share them with someone. Funny as all get out. Very old Weight Watchers recipe cards (from the 70's). : http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

[Fesser]

Thanks for the link to the cards. Terrifying. I have some similar cards depicting "Soul Food."