Beer for Dinner

• 4 ounces butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• Salt
• Cayenne
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated
• Dash hot red pepper sauce
• Tempura Broccoli Florets, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Tempura Broccoli Florets:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup seltzer water
• 8 fresh broccoli florets, blanched
• Salt and cayenne

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes to make a blond roux. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.
2. Stir in the beer and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the milk and cheese. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and hot sauce.
3. Reduce the heat and keep warm. To serve, ladle the soup into each bowl. Garnish with the Tempura Florets and parsley.

Tempura Broccoli Florets:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, egg, and seltzer water. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Season with salt and cayenne. Dip each floret into the batter, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the battered broccoli to the oil and fry until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serves 8

Thanks to Tarah

Labels: broccoli, butter, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, cornstarch, eggs, flour, hotsauce, milk, onions, parsley, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

312 Beer Cheese Soup w/ Brie, Chorizo and Manchego

• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 2 cups of thinly sliced celery
• 6 pack of 312 Beer (2 bottles for the soup and the other 4 for you!)
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of ground coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 pound of cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 pound of brie cheese, sliced (leave the rind on)
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 8 cups water or stock
• Mexican-style chorizo, cooked and drained very well (or Soyrizo)
• Shredded manchego cheese

Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add the onion, celery, fennel, cumin, coriander and crushed red pepper. Sautee on medium heat and stir frequently until everything is caramelized, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring constantly. Add the beer! Stir and scrape the bottom of the stockpot to deglaze the pan (all that stuck-on stuff is really flavorful and you want in the soup, not stuck to the pan). Add the water/stock and bring everything to a light boil. Add the cheddar and brie cheese and stir to combine. Lower the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup for one to two hours on low heat and stir occasionally to blend the melted cheese into the broth.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a bit of chorizo and shredded manchego cheese.

Thanks to Gaper's Block

Labels: brie, butter, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, chorizo, cumin, fennel, flour, oliveoil, onions, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large chopped onion
• 4 oz can diced green chilis (I dice the contents up even finer than it comes)
• 2 cans corn (remember: DO NOT drain anything!)
• 4 cans stewed tomatoes (or any combination of diced/stewed/whole canned tomatoes you have on hand equaling 4 cans - I don't often have 4 cans stewed, but can mix & match enough to come up with the equivalent without having to run to the store!)
• 1 can pinto beans (or black beans, or white beans - whatever will work in this "Southwest" dish!)
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 1 packet ranch dressing and/or dip mix
• 2-3 cups beer

Brown the ground beef and the chopped onion together in a large skillet. Drain. Put meat and onions into a large crock pot (slow cooker). Then just start opening cans and packets and start dumping all into the crock pot! I usually stir after each addition. Then put the lid on, turn on low, and at the end of the day (or a couple hours) voila: Taco Soup!!

Thanks to Blogger World Cooking

Labels: beans, beef, chiles, corn, onion, soup, tomatoes

Posted by Steve at 1:01 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup beer
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (a vegetarian version is available at natural foods stores)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Labels: bread, carrot, celery, cheddar, cheese, flour, milk, mustard, onions, parmesan, soup, tabasco, worcestershiresauce

Posted by Steve at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) ale
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 3/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in milk and stock. bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Return the mixture to the pot and set over medium heat. Add the ale, Worcestershire and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more; do not allow the soup to boil. Season with salt and cayenne. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6. Thanks to Cooking in KC

Labels: butter, carrot, cayenne, celery, cheddar, cheese, flour, milk, mustard, onion, soup, stock

Posted by Steve at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 pounds onions, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 12 ounces dark ale, preferably altbier
• 6 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 branches fresh thyme
• 2 cups packaged pretzel nuggets
• 11/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese, more for serving
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard.

Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan. Add onions and sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are golden, about 40 minutes. Add 1 cup ale and stir, scraping pot to release caramelized particles. Add stock. Simmer 30 minutes. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme and set aside one hour or longer to infuse.

Pulse pretzels in a food processor or place in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to make coarse crumbs. Mix in a bowl with cheese. Lightly beat eggs, whisk in mustard and remaining ale and stir this mixture into pretzel crumbs and cheese. Form mixture into 18 dumplings about the size of Ping-Pong balls, place on a platter and cover until ready to cook.

About 20 minutes before serving, fill a 3-quart saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into water and simmer gently 15 minutes. While dumplings simmer, remove thyme from soup. Reheat soup.

Ladle soup into bowls. Use a slotted spoon to transfer 3 to 4 dumplings to each bowl. Serve, with additional grated cheese on the side.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Thanks to nytimes.com

Labels: cheese, eggs, mustard, onions, pretzels, soup, stock, sugar

Posted by Steve at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Adapted from "Real Beer and Good Eats'' by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly, Alfred Knopf, 1993

• 1/4 cup olive oil or more if needed
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced, about 6-8 cups
• Salt and pepper
• 6 cups beef or rich chicken broth
• 2 bottles dark lager
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch allspice
• Croutons

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Put in the onions, sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper and cover the pot. Stirring from time to time, cook the onions until light brown, about 30 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, except croutons. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the onions are quite soft and the broth has a nice onion flavor. Season with salt and pepper and add a little vinegar if desired. Top serve garnish with croutons. Serves 6-8.

Labels: onions, soup

Posted by Steve at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post