It’s been pretty cold here and the winters are a bit colder than what I’m used to in the Bay Area. Hence, this weekend I’m making a couple of slow-cooked soups. I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy slow cooked dishes in the past — I find that there’s something calming about the slow and easy process that generates such complex flavors. Sure, you have to be start cooking your dinner in the morning, but you get so much flavor for little effort. Additionally, a slowly-cooked soup fills the house with the aroma of .

Tomorrow, I’ll be making a variation on Johanna’s White Chicken Chili. I’m using drumsticks instead of thighs and slow cooking them with the bone for additional flavor and thickness. I’ll also be adding that can of diced green chilies David suggest.

However, today was about making Pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup. I like making a spicy Pho, for me the scent of spices can help warm up the room and I find the flavors help chase away the chills. I take inspiration from a recipe that appeared in the SF Chronicle.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces and skinned
• 2 quarts water
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
• 5 whole pieces star anise
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
• 1 3-inch piece ginger, chopped rougly
• 2 jalapeños, chopped roughly (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon peppercorns
• 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
• leaves from half a bunch of cilantro
• noodles, your choice

1. Take the skinned chicken pieces and cover with water in a large pot or crockpot. Cook on low heat for two hours. Try to keep it at a slow simmer, so that you can get a clear broth.
2. After two hours, remove the chicken pieces and remove the meat from the bones. Return the bones to the pot and put the meat in the refrigerator. (This step is optional, but it’ll mean the meat you leave in the broth will still have some flavor.) Add the onion, garlic, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, jalapeños and peppercorns .
3. Continue to cook for an additional 2-6 hours. It’ll be flavorful after two hours, but more time will allow for more flavor to come out. After two hours, I’ll usually give it a taste to see if I need to add any spices.
4. Before you’re ready to serve, strain the mixture to remove the chicken bones and the whole spices (that’s why you only need to chop them roughly). Add the chicken meat, fish sauce and cilantro. Cook for a few more minutes to warm up the meat.
5. At the same time, start cooking your noodles according to the package directions. Use whatever sounds good. Rice noodles are traditional, but I’ve used thin Japanese noodles (like somein or soba) when I felt like it.
6. Serve by putting noodles in a bowl, and pouring the broth over it. Feel feel to add any garnishes you feel like adding.