Hannah's Phở Week!! Part 3 - Beef Phở

Below is the traditional beef version of Phở. The method is practically identical to the fish version. This is a bigger pot and should feed 6 people, or 3 meals for 2, or a full week of dinner meals for 1.

Hannah's Beef Phở

Soup Ingredients:
4-6 Pieces beef bones - soup, marrow, or joint bones all work fine
3 Pounds thinly sliced beef - eye round, top round, or tender cuts work well; cut while slightly frozen to make it easier to thinly slice
6 Small-medium sized zucchini summer squashes (yellow or green both are fine)
2 Leeks, cleaned and coursely chopped, including greens
1 1/2 Medium yellow onion, 1 washed and halved with the skin, one half very thinly sliced
2 Inch piece of ginger, washed and coursely sliced into chunks
1 Inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 c. Finely chopped Chinese chives
1/4 c. Finely chopped scallions (white portions only)
1 Bunch lemongrass (about 3-4 large stalks), cleaned, outer tough leaves removed and coursely chopped; inner tender shoot finely sliced
1 t. Fennel seeds
1 Star anise
2 t. Coriander seeds
1 Small stick cinnamon
5 Whole cloves
5 Whole green cardamom pods (or 1-2 black cardamom)
2-3 T. Fish sauce (This kind has no additives and is GAPS-legal)
6-8 Quarts filtered water
Salt to taste

Fresh Herb Garnishings:
Cilantro
Mint
Basil
Chives, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Onion, thinly sliced
Lime slices
Chili-garlic sauce

Part 1: Broth
In a 12 quart pot, place the bones. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Skim off the foamy skin. Add halved onion, chopped leeks, coursely chopped ginger, tough parts of lemongrass, spices, fish sauce, and salt. Boil for 8 hours, until the broth is rich and fatty. Add more water as needed to compensate for evaporative loss. When finished boiling, cool the broth. Strain and return to the pot.

Part 2: Noodles
Use a vegetable spiralizer to made "zucchini noodles" with the yellow or green summer squash. Set aside the raw noodles.

Part 3: Soup
Add the finely chopped lemongrass, ginger, scallions and chives. Boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange a handful of the noodles and thinly sliced meat pieces in large soup bowls. Then pour the boiling soup over the meat and noodles. The boiling water will cook them.

Part 4: Garnish
Place the garnishings on the table on a plate or in separate rice bowls. Serve the Phở and garnish individually as desired with the fresh herbs and hot sauce. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until fully satisfied!