As a matter of fact, one of our first dates was my introductory trip to a burrito truck. I still remember sitting on the railroad tracks biting into a burrito the diameter of a wine bottle thinking, this is not the most romantic date, but Hot Damn! this is good.
And herein lies the wonderment that is my husband. He will have you thinking—no convinced—that he has no idea what he’s talking about, to the point where you are saying to yourself, what have we gotten ourselves into, only to take you to the most brilliant place for a meal he knew you would love before you even knew it existed.
Even after 10 years I am constantly surprised, so this mi amor, is my Valentine to you. It may not be a box of chocolates, but you’d rather have a bowl of Pho anyway.

Faux Pho Recipe
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1-inch cube peeled fresh ginger, smashed
- 1 bunch chives (1 cup cut into 1-inch long pieces, the rest left whole)
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 10 fresh parsley stems
- 2 (2-inch-long) pieces tangerine peel
- 4 star anise pods
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
- 2 1/2 pounds meaty beef short ribs
- 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound linguine
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- basil leaves, torn
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Bring water, soy sauce, wine, brown sugar, ginger, whole chives, garlic, parsley, tangerine peel, star anise, black peppercorns, and chile flakes to a boil in a large soup pot. Reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add short ribs and gently simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until meat is very tender, but not falling apart. 2-3 hours. Let meat stand in cooking liquid 1 hour, or overnight.
- Transfer meat to a cutting board with tongs and discard bones and membranes, then cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Pour beef broth through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Transfer broth to a 4-quart saucepan add chicken broth and meat and reheat soup over low heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package instructions. Drain and divide noodles between 6 bowls. Ladle soup over noodles and serve with jalapeño, basil leaves, lime wedges, and remaining chives for garnish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 814Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 2506mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 58g
I just found your blog today, love your recipes 🙂 This made me laugh, I have a Faux-tisserie as well as a real Pho recipe too 🙂 It’s actually very easy to make Pho. Just throw all into a pot and simmer for hours. I gotta make those Jalepeno Cormeal Dumplings of yours soon!
Thanks Natasha! Am going over to your blog this instant to check it out!
Kate