unPHOgettable

Pho.

A hot, steaming bowl warms the soul. It's the perfect dish for a rainy day such as yesterday.

When I get the craving, I typically head to my go-to favorite: Pho Thanh Long Restaurant in Santa Clara.

When I'm in downtown San Jose, I frequent Dalat. It serves a variety of Vietnamese delicacies, but I go for the pho.

But where does one go in South San Jose?

The hunt was on.

Via Yelp, my husband found a pho restaurant on Capitol Expressway. It had solid reviews, so we decided to give it a go.

We arrived to find a large, square dining room. Nearly every table was taken with a mix of professionals and everyday locals. I took this as a good sign.

We were immediately seated and it wasn't long before we had made our selections off the menu. Chicken pho for me. A combination beef pho for my husband.

Then we waited. And waited.

For context, it was 1 p.m. We were hungry, especially after inhaling the collective, seductive aroma of steaming bowls of pho.

Ten minutes elapsed (the equivalent of a decade in most Vietnamese restaurants). Five guests who arrived after us were served before us.

So my husband decided that we needed to get up and leave. I disagreed. I was sure someone would come to take our order soon. The pho sure smelled good and I'm sure it tasted just as great.

But minutes later when our situation didn't improve, we left the restaurant (which will remain nameless Pho Y #1).

Luckily, I had spotted another pho restaurant right across Capitol Expressway. Beef Noodle No 1.

There, we were seated right away. So far, so good.

In less than a minute, a server came to our table to take our order. We hadn't even put down our menus! Chicken pho for me. The special for my husband.

In a few minutes, we were enjoying our steaming bowls of pho. Rice noodles, generous slices of skinless chicken, basil, been sprouts and pepper in a savory broth (pictured). It hit the spot. Especially the broth. I could drink that stuff every day.

Total tab: $13 for two people. Not bad for a tasty, filling lunch and excellent service.

Sudden Cravings Returns

Took a brief hiatus.

There was good reason.

I packed a bag or two and hit the road for a few months. Flew to Hawaii, Greece and back to Hawaii again.

With every trip home to Hawaii, I found a new favorite place to dine. Like Therapy. The sports bar, not the counseling sessions.

I also revisited some old favorites. Like Leonard's Bakery.

But Greece is where I left my heart. I did not know good Greek food until I visited Greece - traveling from urban Athens to romantic Santorini. My two-week culinary immersion deserves its own series of dedicated posts. There are a plethora of pictures and tales that I cannot wait to share.

But first, given that it is a new year, I'd be remiss if I didn't share some family traditions. For us, it's about the soup. Two, in particular. Ozoni and pig feet soup.

We believe that a bowl of ozoni soup, made with mochi and vegetables and prepared as the first meal of the first day of the new year, brings good luck. Time will tell if this is true. So far, so good.

Pig feet soup is an Okinawan tradition. When homemade, it's healthy and tasty. I'm talking slices of shiitake mushrooms, knots of konbu, pieces of daikon radish and fall-off-the-bone pork. My folks say it'll bring me good health. Can't be mad about that.

So by consuming both on January 1, I hope that I'm covered for the year. Bring on 2010!

Gardening For Dummies

Herbs.

Always need 'em. Never have 'em.

It's tough to keep fresh herbs on hand. The store bought varieties go bad so quickly.

I would grow my own, but I don't have a yard for a reason. I can't keep plants alive.

Still, it's a pain and shame to run out to the market every time a recipe calls for fresh herbs.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see a simple, all-in-one basil kit at my local Ikea.

What a concept! The kit included:

a clear pot

soil tablet

seed package

Basically, everything I would need to create my own mini kitchen sill basil garden.

The directions looked so easy that even I, a novice, felt confident in giving it a go.

All I had to do was add water to the soil tablet (which instantly expanded in size to fill the pot), sprinkle the seeds on top and wait 10-12 weeks for the basil to grow.

And grow it did.

Signs of growth started within days.

Now, two weeks later, the basil shoots are about 1-2 inches tall.

Does Size Matter?

I commiserated with my coworkers yesterday. Turns out everyone has a crock pot disaster story.

Some shared their tales of woe with such passion that even I was a bit surprised. Bitter frustration underscored each.

They report that, without fail, food will burn and crust on the bottom of their crock pots – even when set to low.

A clever coworker pointed out that our crock pot-to-meat ratio might be off. That is, my 4-pound pork shoulder was too small for my 6.5-quart crock pot.

An interesting theory. One that I am tempted to test out with yet another pork shoulder. But before I go out and acquire a third pork shoulder in two weeks, I need to finish the remaining kalua pig in my fridge. Already, the husband is rolling his eyes at the prospect of consuming more kalua pig. And he LOVES the stuff. But even he has his limits.

So I might give it a week or two, but I will be buying a larger shoulder or using a mini crock pot.

My coworker mentioned that there's a hotline one can call for help in disasters such as these. I couldn't find one other than the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1 (800) 535-4555. It seems to specialize on fielding safety questions, though. If you know of a general one, do share.

Onolicious

Success!

My second attempt at kalua pork turned out light years different than the first. The meat fell off the bone when I poked it with a fork. Just as it should. The pork was so moist and tender. I transferred it to a casserole dish and easily shredded the meat with two forks.

I beamed with joy.

I made a mental note to put this recipe on regular rotation. I love it because the recipe calls for few ingredients and requires little prep. Within a few minutes, I can stick the prepared pork in the oven and forget about it for 4 hours. The oven does all of the work.

Oh, and the smell. The scent of slowly cooking pork pervaded my entire kitchen and adjoining living room.

It's so delicious that I had to resist the urge to sneak a peek.

It's a good think that I let it be because the result is salty pork goodness. Enough for many meals for a couple of two. We enjoy ours with King's Hawaiian sweet rolls.

What A Crock

It was bound to happen.

After all my kitchen successes, I had a kitchen failure.

My kalua pig.

Kalua pig is a Hawaiian favorite. A salty shredded pork dish, usually eaten with rice and, if you're lucky, lomi lomi salmon. I grew up eating kalua pig. I miss it now that I've moved to California.

Whenever I have the craving for some kalua pig, I whip out Hawaii's Best Local Dishes by Jean Watanabe Hee. This cookbook boasts the best kalua pig recipe that I've seen. The dish turns out perfect every time I make it. A little taste of home.

The directions say to rub the sides of a pork butt (which I don't always see in my supermarket) in Hawaiian salt (which isn't easy to find in California) and liquid smoke. Then, place the butt in ti leaves (which I don't grow in my backyard here) and secure with string (which I never have on hand). Then, place it in the oven.

Here's my mainland version:

Ingredients:

4 to 6-pounds pork shoulder

2 to 3 Tablespoons kosher salt

2 Tablespoons liquid smoke

aluminum foil

Place pork shoulder on a tray. Rub all sides of pork shoulder with kosher salt and liquid smoke. Place shoulder on aluminum foil and seal well so no steam escapes. Place the prepared shoulder in a shallow roasting pan and roast in a preheated 450-degree oven. After 1 hour, reduce heat to 400 degrees and cook 3 to 4 hours longer or until done. Shred with two forks. The meat should fall apart upon touch.

This recipe has never failed.

So why I wanted to tweak it is beyond me.

Something possessed me to use my shiny new crock pot instead of the oven. So I prepared my pork shoulder and placed it in my crock pot with an inch of water. I closed the lid, set it for 8 hours on low and watched it turn into a right hot mess.

The meat (pictured) completely dried out and had little taste.

Utter disappointment set in. I vowed then and there that I'd attempt kalua pig again on the weekend. This time, I'd do it the right way. In the oven.

It's now Saturday and guess what's in the oven?

You got it.

Kalua pig take two.

A Labor Free Treat

Baked Martha's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes and brought them to a Labor Day holiday BBQ and pool party yesterday.

They were a hit.

I wanted to take on this recipe because I already had most of the ingredients. I only had to pick up the cream cheese and sour cream.

Best of all, the cheesecakes were easy and quick to make.

This surprised me because Martha is not known for easy recipes. I tried to make her frosting once. It flopped and the ingredients separated. I had to throw the whole thing away.

I also tried my hand at her crepe paper black-eyed susan kit. It took me a all day to cut and assemble the 18 artificial flowers to fill a vase.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I took on her Cookie and Cream Cheesecakes. No hiccups along the way.

You just beat the cream cheese. Then gradually add sugar, vanilla, eggs, sour cream and salt. Then, stir in chopped Oreo cookies by hand. The recipe doesn't call for much. And yet, it yields 40 or so dense, creamy cheesecakes.

I placed one whole Oreo cookie at the bottom of each cupcake liner to form the perfect base. The combination of the sandwich cookie + cheesecake batter made for the right cookies-and-cream taste.

An “A” Martha recipe.