It’s pho vs. alliums in battle of the cookbooks

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Pho battled alliums in Day 5 of Food52’s Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks.

In the history of single-subject cookbooks, many have drawn yawns from me. I’m full up on the many ways of avocado toast. I don’t really care how many recipes you can find that use ketchup. I cringe at titles that include “100 ways to use.”

And while “The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam’s Favorite Soup and Noodles,” by Andrea Nguyen, drew my interest, “Onions Etcetera: The Essential Allium Cookbook,” by Kate Winslow, had me asking: Why would The Piglet do this to me?

“Onions Etcetera” soon had me eating my words. It’s an engaging book that correctly calls itself “The Essential Allium Cookbook.” It’s filled with enticing recipes highlighting leeks, scallions, garlic, shallots, ramps, chives and, of course, onions. It’s the perfect resource for finding a savory side dish to surprise your guests with.

Alliums are like the chicken of the vegetable world: everywhere, but never paid much attention. Now, Winslow, a former editor of the much-mourned Gourmet magazine, and her partner, food photographer Guy Ambrosino, have given alliums their due.

“Pho” is a small cookbook, but the sort that’s got all you need, and only that. Why fill pages with distraction? Pho is intimidating enough. And Nguyen has an answer for that, too. With her “quick pho” options, including one for Instapot devotees, she makes pho as easy as chicken noodle soup.

Her extras are the perfect toppings you’ve tried at the corner pho restaurant, but can’t imagine how to replicate them. Piglet judge and deputy editor of the Washington Post Food section Bonnie Benwick writes of Nguyen’s garlic vinegar, “Sprinkle this vinegar into your next bowl of pho. Or over pan-fried noodles, or fried rice. Or a shoe. I am hooked.”

I picked “Pho” as the winner over the beautifully encyclopedic “Onions Etcetera.” I appreciate Nguyen’s consistent and careful recipes, the ease of her instruction, and the ingredient flexibility. Even though it’s mostly broth, I find pho intimidating. It’s a dish you want to get just right or it’s totally off, and “Pho” has helped me wrangle this fear.

But to “Onions Etcetera,” I’m sorry I was a snob. You, too, have shown me the power of single-subject cooking. Consider me a convert.

Roasted onions with warm bacon vinaigrette

​In this recipe, Winslow and Ambrosino look to mimic the tang of warm German potato salad​, finding these ​flavors​ pair wonderfully with onions, too. ​They suggest serving this over arugula to make ​a more substantial​ dish​.​

2 pounds mixed small onions, such as pearl onions, cipollini and/or shallots

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 strips bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the onions and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain well and run under cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel the onions and trim the root ends, dropping the onions into a mixing bowl as you work.

Add the olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Arrange the onions in a single layer in a medium baking dish and put in the oven. Roast until tender and lightly browned in spots, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a small skillet over moderately high heat, stirring from time to time, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the bacon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Keep any fat that remains in the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat and add the vinegar, mustard, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot dressing over the roasted onions, along with the crisped bacon. Toss everything gently together, garnish with the parsley and serve warm. Serves 6.​

— Reprinted from “Onions Etcetera: The Essential Allium Cookbook” by Kate Winslow and Guy Ambrosino with permission from​ Burgess Lea Press.

Quick chicken pho

Author Andrea Nguyen says: “Great for pho beginners, this recipe is also terrific for cooks in a hurry. It involves less than 45 minutes, during which you’ll doctor up store-bought broth so it says, ‘I’m pho-ish.’ ”

3⁄4-inch section ginger

2 medium-large green onions

1 very small bunch cilantro sprigs

1½ teaspoons coriander seeds

1 whole clove

3½ to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh

About ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

5 ounces dried narrow flat rice noodles

2 to 3 teaspoons fish sauce

About ½ teaspoon organic sugar, or 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Pepper (optional)

Optional extras: Garnish Plate for 2, ⅓ cup Ginger Dipping Sauce (see recipes below)

Peel then slice the ginger into 4 or 5 coins. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Cut the leftover sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.

Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the cilantro to yield 2 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining cilantro sprigs aside.

In a 3- to 4-quart pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds or so to briefly cool, then pour in the broth.

Return the pot to the burner, then add the water, cilantro sprigs, chicken and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.

While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse and set aside.

After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through (press on it and it should slightly yield). Transfer the chicken to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Let cool, then cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.

When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a 2-quart pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about 4 cups. Season with fish sauce and sugar (or maple syrup), if needed, to create a strong savory-sweet note.

Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the 2 bowls.

Lower the heat to keep the broth hot while you arrange the chicken on top of the noodles and garnish with the chopped green onion, cilantro, and a sprinkling of pepper. Taste and adjust the broth’s saltiness one last time. Return the broth to a boil and ladle into the bowls. Enjoy with any extras, if you like. ​Serves 2.

Ginger dipping sauce

Makes ⅔ cup​. ​Takes 5 minutes, plus 15 minutes to rest​.​

Rounded 2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped ginger

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 to 2½ tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons finely chopped seeded Fresno or jalapeno chilie

In a small bowl, stir together the ginger, lime juice and sugar to dissolve the sugar. Taste to make sure it’s agreeable on a spicy-tart-sweet level. Adjust as needed. Add the fish sauce and chile and set aside for 15 minutes to meld and develop flavors. The sauce may be refrigerated for a few days. Serve in the bowl or use as a salad dressing.

Garnish plate

​For handling hot chilies, the author says: “During prep, use the cut stem end to scoot chilie pieces onto a knife blade and push them into wherever they’re needed. Wash hands with coarse salt, if you touch a chilie’s cut surfaces.​”

2 handfuls (about 3 oz) bean sprouts

2 or 3 sprigs mint, regular or spicy

2 or 3 sprigs Thai basil

3 or 4 fresh cilantro leaves

2 or 3 sprigs rice paddy herb

1 lime, cut into wedges

1 Thai chilie or ½ jalapeno, Fresno or serrano chilie, thinly sliced

If you’re blanching the bean sprouts, work it into the pho assembly process and use the pot set up for dunking noodles; the noodle strainer is perfect for the job. Blanch them before starting on the noodles to avoid giving them a starch bath, and put them on their own plate so they don’t leak water on other garnishes. Otherwise, arrange the raw sprouts with the herbs and lime on a communal plate.

If the chilie is small, cut it at a sharp angle to yield largish slices that can be easily identified in the bowl. Put the slices in a little dish so they don’t get lost. Before bowl assembly, set the garnishes at the table with any other sides and condiments so you can dive in immediately.

— Reprinted from “​The Pho Cookbook” by ​Andrea Nguyen with permission from​ ​Ten Speed Press.