A Change of Pace

After a weekend full of what I like to call "holiday fare" (rich, often carb-heavy meals capped off by cakes, pies and cookies), I was craving something different. So I decided to try out a recipe that caught my eye back in the late summer/early fall-- seared beef and noodle soup from the Everyday Food TV show. It is sort of poor man's pho (or what I imagine pho would be like given that I have never actually had it before). Martha's version was indeed easy-- seared meat sitting a top a bed of rice noodles covered in a mushroom broth and garnished with carrots, scallions and bean sprouts. It looked awesome and tasted....just ok. I really wanted to love this dish. It looked cool and it was a cinch to make, but it lacked the flavor I was hoping for. I was underwhelmed. I think I'll try it again but I'd recommend adding some ginger, some sirracha, and maybe even some fish sauce to try and liven things up. Ooo, maybe even some cilantro and/or basil at the end!If nothing else, it definitely inspired me to try real pho the next time we decide to eat Vietnamese!

Seared Beef and Noodle Soup
Adapted slightly from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
2 sirloin steaks about 1 inch thick
2 TBL olive oil
1 package of rice noodles
10 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (I used a combination of white mushrooms and portabello)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of low-sodium beef broth
2 cups of water
2 TBL soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
4 scallions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 cup bean sprouts

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 TBL olive oil. Pat sirloin dry and season each side with salt and pepper. Sear 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside (tent with foil to keep warm).
2. Add remaining olive oil to pan. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute until tender. Add beef broth, water, soy sauce, and vinegar. Let come to a boil (this is also when I'd add the freshly ground ginger, sirracha, and/or fish sauce next time around).
3. Meanwhile, place rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.
4. Slice meat on the diagonal. To serve, place some of the noodles in a bowl. Top with broth mixture and several slices of beef (don't worry if you don't like your meet medium-rare-- the hot broth will cook it a little more). Serve with chopsticks and a spoon!