Last week I had Pho at Green Leaf with a friend and I can’t stop thinking about it. I really love #41 on their menu, which is Pho Chay: vegetables and tofu pho in beef broth. The best of both worlds! I love soup and I think it’s the easiest way to use those leftovers, including those in your stock bag.

Making Pho from leftover prime rib

Today I’m making Vietnamese Pho (just the broth) from the leftover prime rib bones that I had tossed in the freezer. I’m using Jaden Hair’s Steamy Kitchen recipe and making the broth today so that I can refrigerate it overnight and really get that floating fat off of the top. I have several skimmers but even frequent and vigilant skimming leaves more fat than I like. I already had extra marrow bones in the freezer, onions and ginger in my pantry, as well as the spices. I like cooking Asian foods so I make sure I have those particular spices handy.

Tomorrow after dropping the kids off at school I’ll treat myself to a trip to Uwajimaya to pick up the fresh ingredients for the Pho as well as enough produce to make it through Friday. I’ll also pick up some fresh and dried noodles and spices that I can use later this week or put in the pantry. Their prices for produce are lower than Whole Foods or PCC although most of it is not labelled as organic. They still have the best selection of fresh greens in the city and stock local produce as much as possible. They sell so much ginger that their ginger is very fresh and juicy, completely unlike what you are used to getting at your local grocery store. It’s definitely worth the trip.