texas faux pho

texas faux pho: half vietnamese soup, half texan delight, all paleo diet — this dish will stick to your ribs but not to your gut ...

what you'll need:
3 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
32 oz beef stock
1 yellow onion
1 stick fresh ginger
1 bunch celery
2 (fresh) bay leaves
1 lemon
1 bulb garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 container button mushrooms
1 bunch swiss chard
1 bottle of wine you think tastes good
3 limes
1 jalapeno
1 purple onion
1 head lettuce
1 heirloom tomato
champagne vinegar
avocado oil
salt and pepper (emphasis on the salt)

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what you'll do:

first, you have to have a good cooking wine. it is absolutely imperative that you have something you enjoy drinking. this can be a long process.

i already modified my own recipe. sue me. i got 1.5 lbs bone-in short ribs and 1.5 lbs boneless short ribs. why? that's what the harris teeter had. i like the bone-in because bone adds more flavor. for bone-in, bring them to a rapid boil (in just enough water to cover them) for five minutes and drain. see how it got all foamy? you want to get rid of that.

peel your onion, but you don't have to the ginger.

dump the meat back in your pot with 4 quarts of water, 32 oz of beef stock (homemade or storebought) and the rest of the unboiled meat.

cut your yellow onion and ginger in half, lengthwise, and brown the cut edges in avocado oil over medium heat.

you really want to brown them, not soften them. this will add the best flavor, so pre-heat your pan.

once the pot's boiling, throw in the onion and ginger. turn it down to a simmer, cover and sit back for an hour.

ok, so, here's my nifty little trick: eat a salad.

if you're like me, you left work at "normal" work-leaving-time and went to the grocery store and then put groceries away before ever even thinking about starting the soup and you're hungry.

so, let's make a salad. i like to theme my salads off what i'm making, so mine is pretty texan. but you can do what you want.

i washed and tore my lettuce, then finely chopped a quarter of my tomato and a couple slices of purple onion.

then i made a dressing of champagne vinegar, avocado oil, finely diced jalapeno and cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper. if it's too bitter, add a dash of sugar.

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after an hour, if you taste what's in the pot, you won't die. but you won't like it either.

wash and cut off the top portion of your bunch of celery, including the leave, and throw it in the pot with the bay leaves.

knife four holes in the lemon, after rolling on the counter with the heel of your hand until soft, and throw it into the pot whole.

peel the entire bulb of garlic. yes the entire bulb. and throw it in as well.

cover and simmer another hour and a half, or more.

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this is the point that it always gets dicey for me. i want this stock to taste great, but i haven't added salt yet. salt is so key. so i usually break down and put in a bullion cube or two. up to you.

strain everything out of the broth and return the broth to the pot. pick the meat out and discard everything else — after using tongs to squeeze the heated juice out of the lemon. shred the meat and throw it back into the pot.

wash and slice your mushrooms, once the stems are removed. throw them on into the pot.

i like cilantro. i know there are those people who's tastebuds have been tricked into thinking it tastes like soap. i feel bad for those people.

pick as many leaves as you want, give them a light chop and throw them into the pot. simmer another five minutes.

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using just the leaves, wash and chop your swiss chard.

i use the entire bunch. you know how leafy greens cook down.

you're really supposed to throw them in the pot and stop cooking, based on any recipe i've seen. but, i like mine soft.

i also like my mushrooms soft and well-cooked.

so, i let it go until i'm hungry. and with that salad i had, it could be like 10-15 minutes.

don't judge.

the final step is the salt. i think it takes a lot. so much that the first time matt and i made this together, i got mad at how much he dumped in. then had to agree that he was right. (i hate that.)

so, salt to taste. a little pepper, too.

this stuff'll keep in the fridge for about tow weeks. but, if you're cooking for one like me, freeze some.

when you're ready to serve, dice yourself some jalapeno and fresh cilantro and juice yourself so lime and put it in the bottom of your bowl.

scoop soup over it and clean your bowl.

*all shitty photos taken with my iphone.