Sunday Soup #34: Crock Pot Pork Chile Verde (Soup)

My wife sent me this recipe, and I like to keep her happy, so I gave it a go! I was a little skeptical at first, as I usually consider chile verde a filling for tacos and burritos, not as a soup unto itself, but the recipe's author repeatedly describes it as a soup on her website, so let's be open-minded...

A couple of Becky's co-workers (looking at you Marie and Robert!) correctly pointed out that I made a soup similar to this one last March (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2017/03/sunday-soup-26-chile-verde-pork-pozole.html), and it was really yummy (but a lot of work to prep)... Would this one fare as well?

This recipe came from: https://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/crock-pot-chili-verde-recipe/

*Pic 1 - https://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/crock-pot-chili-verde-recipe/

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I used smoked paprika instead of regular (because I like it!) and did not garnish with avocado (because Becky is allergic) but, other than that, I followed the recipe closely.

General Thoughts: First, the good... I was really surprised by the amount of flavor that came through. Homemade chile verdes often let me down... I actually expected it to taste overly pork-y or to be somewhat sour and overpowered by the tomatillos. But, none of that happened... The balance was excellent, with the perfect blend of tang and spice and meaty goodness reaching the palate all together.  The soup also had a nice consistency, providing a not-too-thick, but also not-quite-thin, broth that was perfect for spooning up every drop!

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it (special thanks to my brother-in-law for the pics)

Now the "less" good... The main problem was, the soup was just kind of boring, overall. The pork was really great, and then there was the... um... the... hmm... the... sorry, there just really wasn't anything else. There were onions, I suppose, and those contributed greatly to the good flavor, but they really weren't something I noticed as a "thing" in the soup itself.  I suppose I could have gotten more creative with garnishes not originally called for by the recipe (which I have done for other soups in the past), but I was trying to keep it simple on this one. And it ended up being exactly that, simple (which isn't necessarily bad, but it didn't wholly work with this soup).

Let me be clear about this... I really liked this as a good chile verde recipe, and I will DEFINITELY make this again as a delicious meat choice for taco/burrito night. But, for me, as a soup, it just didn't do enough to justify the prep work.

One change I would make in the future, whether I was preparing this as a soup again, or as a good chile verde meat recipe, I'd knock up the heat factor with a blast from my Spice Weasel! Whether it is using hot diced hatch chiles, or my ghost pepper salt, or some smoked chile powder, I like my chile verde to really sizzle... So, while this recipe had great flavor and would be a crowd-pleasing chile verde dish that even chile lightweights could handle, I (personally) need a little more burn!

Polling the Fam: Again, I thought the flavor was there, and it was definitely tasty overall, but a bit boring. For my money, I'd make the "Chile Verde Pork Pozole" (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2017/03/sunday-soup-26-chile-verde-pork-pozole.html) again, with all its yummy hominy and garnishes, before I'd make this one as a soup (although, I approve of it as a straight-up chile verde recipe). Becky thought it was delicious and said she'd eat it again, but as a chile verde, not a soup.

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)

Sunday Soup #33: Paleo* Beef Pho

Ah, the sweet smell of soup simmering on the stove... How I have missed thee! My return readers will know that at the outset of this project, I promised to be as regular with these recipes/posts as life would allow. Unfortunately, life has been very busy here of late, so this is the first post after about a six-week absence. I'll try to get back in the weekly (or bi-weekly) swing going forward...

My wife has made a variation on this type of pho recipe before (it was quite tasty!), and it made me realize I had not tried a pho yet for this project.  As luck would have it, we had family here from out of town this past weekend, and we all descended on my parents' house for the type of activity we all most enjoy: EATING GOOD FOOD! So, I volunteered to cook Sunday night, and (duh!) soup was on the menu!!

This recipe came from: http://thealmondeater.com/2016/12/paleo-beef-pho/

*Pic 1 - http://thealmondeater.com/2016/12/paleo-beef-pho/

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I quintupled the recipe (don't judge me!). The biggest change I made is related to the asterisk I placed after "Paleo" in the name of the soup above: I prepared rice and ramen (egg) noodles instead of using the zoodles (spiralized zucchini) and kelp noodles. That, of course, makes the recipe non-paleo, but sticking to the rice noodles still kept it gluten-free (which was important to some in our family). I made the broth the night before and stored it in the fridge for about 24 hours before boiling it again at dinner time. I used only about 2/3 the amount of fish sauce called for by the recipe, as several of my diners have strong fish-related phobias. :-) And, I provided additional garnishes not originally suggested in the recipe (because I am a BIG garnish guy when it comes to my pho), such as shiitake mushrooms (lightly sautéed in olive oil and garlic powder), spicy kimchi, crumbled pork rinds, Thai basil, and Sriracha sauce.

General Thoughts: The broth... THE BROTH! If you are a pho person, then you know that the broth is key. Noodles, garnishes, protein... all will be forgotten if the broth is not flavorful or does not deliver that special "it" we all crave from our pho.  Well, the broth in this recipe delivered! The broth turned out to be a perfect mix of sweet (although, there was not any added sugar or sweeteners in it) and savory, with the taste of the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise shining through. My sister and mom (who do a lot of Asian cooking) said it reminded them a bit of Chinese five-spice powder, which I do not think was a bad thing. We all agreed that even without noodles, meat, etc., the broth would be the perfect thing to pour into a mug and just drink straight if you needed a savory snack to give you that warm, full feeling in your tummy! In hindsight, even my fish-phobic diners thought I should have used the full ration of fish sauce, if nothing else, to add just a touch more saltiness. Other than that, I would change nothing about the broth...

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it (special thanks to my brother-in-law for the pics)

The noodles, though, were a slightly different story... So, as mentioned, I prepared two types: rice sticks (i.e., an angle hair-like rice noodle) and ramen noodles. In the past, I have had success just buying the cheap and quick Top Ramen soup packs at the grocery store and quick-boiling the noodles for my soups, so I tried it again on Sunday... wrong, wrong, WRONG! While it as edible, all of the other ingredients were rich, adding to the quality of the dish, while the ramen noodles were too soft and just fell flat. Thankfully, the rice noodles saved the day... Pho purists know that rice noodles are the proper choice for pho anyway, and my ill-fated experiment with ramen (egg) noodles bore this out.

The meat was a perfect choice for this dish (I used a thinly sliced round steak, seared simply in some olive oil); however, if I make it again, I would cut each portion much smaller than the playing card-sized pieces I used this weekend.

Finally, the garnishes were all great choices and a nice compliment to the strong Vietnamese flavors that came from the broth/protein combo. The Thai basil was a particular star.

Polling the Fam: As I mentioned, I had a big crowd for this one, so plenty of opinions... For me, I thought it was great (anchored by the killer broth!), and I would definitely make it again using my "lessons learned" to make it even better. Dan (my dad) thought the broth had good flavor and reiterated that the rice noodles were much better than the ramen.  Debbie (my mom) simply opined that it was very good and she'd eat it again. Rachel (my sister), who eats gluten-free and whose cooking prowess I admire very much, said she thought it needed just a pinch more salt (see previous comment about using the full measure of fish sauce) and a little more ginger, but that it was "yummy" and the Thai basil was a mandatory addition. Joe (my brother-in-law) thought it was good, but reemphasized the importance of noodle choice, reinforcing that the rice noodles were "way better," and said that the kimchi was a good way to add spice and crunch. And, Hunter (my son), with whom I enjoy "professionally-made" pho at various restaurants around town, said it was very solid overall, the broth was his favorite part, the bean sprouts were very important, and the kimchi/Sriracha combo gave it some needed spiciness.

A special thanks to those family members listed above who also helped with the soup prep at various stages!

Verdict: Love it! (5 stars)