Chicken Cassoulet

• 1/4 pound bacon (about 4 strips)
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
• 1 cup beer (preferably a light lager)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (29 ounces or two 15-ounce cans) cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cups diced leftover chicken
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large oven-proof skillet, brown the bacon over medium heat until it crisps and renders much of its fat, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the sausage to the pan and cook, stirring , until well browned, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic and cook, stirring until it sizzles steadily but doesn't quite brown, about 1 minute.

Add beer and cook, stirring, until it almost completely reduces, about 2 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir in the beans, rosemary and chicken and simmer for 5 minutes to heat through.

Stir in Parmesan, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle evenly with the bread crumbs. Transfer to oven and bake until the crumbs brown and crisp, about 25 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes, then serve with a sprinkling of bacon.

Thanks to Freep

Cilantro Fish Stew with Clams, Mussels, Corvina and Large Prawns

• 4 large prawns
• 2 small fillets of corvina or any firm-fleshed white fish
• 1 cups of clams and mussels @ 6 of each
• 2 ox. Spanish chorizo, chopped in small cubes
• 8 cherry tomatoes halved
• 6 limes juiced
• 1 ear of white corn, off the husk
• 1/2 bottle of XX Amber
• 1/2-1/4 Fresno pepper, sliced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• 1/2 white onion shaved or julienned
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

In a large pan saute over high heat the clams, prawns, chorizo and corvina in olive oil until the fish and prawns are browned on one side. Flip the seafood then immediately deglaze the pan with the beer. Add the onion and corn. The chicken stock and lime juice are added to taste. Reduce the broth then add the whole picked cilantro, cherry tomatoes and Fresno pepper. Finish with salt and pepper. Enjoy! You should be left with a nice citrus broth containing beer and cilantro overtones. Most of these ingredients can be followed to recipe, but I recommend that they be added to taste.

Serves 2

Thanks to Beckler

Cheddar and Beer Soup with Tempura Broccoli Florets

• 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

Firehouse Chicken Stew

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 poblano or Anaheim peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 6 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 10 garlic, chopped
• 6 large sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 2 12-ounce bottles brown ale, such as Newcastle
• 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 pound okra, stemmed, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 12 cups canned low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes with their liquid, crushed
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, (about 6 ears)
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add the chicken, and toss well to evenly coat. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide 20-quart heavy-bottomed pot. Add half of the chicken, and brown, turning once, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a large bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to the pot and brown remaining chicken; transfer to the bowl and set aside.

Add the onions, peppers, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add ale and bring to a simmer, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add potatoes, okra, chicken stock, tomatoes and their liquid, corn, and red pepper flakes, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add reserved chicken, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables and chicken are tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1/2 cup flour together with the milk until smooth. Stir mixture into the stew and return to a simmer. Cook until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Reseason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Serve with a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

Serves 24.

Thanks to Vox

Serin's Meat Mud

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 lime
• 16 oz/500 g (ml?) Diced tomatoes (in a can cause I'm lazy)
• 16 oz/500 g (ml?) Tomato Sauce
• Two Green Bell Peppers
• A handful of button mushrooms
• A handful of shitake mushrooms
• A corona (or heffeweisen, but then substitute a lemon for the lime in order to balance the change in acidity)
• A Roma-Tomato's worth of not-red Onions
• Two or three cloves of garlic (up to you really)
• Large skillet
• Extra-virgin olive-oil.

Now. With the ingredients...

Into the skillet, pour enough olive oil to cover about a third to a half of the bottom.

Heat skillet at medium heat.

Chop onion (smaller than pencil eraser sized chunks)

Dice garlic (Finer the better)

Slice lime wedges, (widest about half inch at the skin)

Roll oil around skillet to coat bottom.

Add onions

Open beer

Stir onions

Add lime wedge to beer.

Stir onions

Enjoy beer.

Repeat previous two steps until onions are brown/burnt/tiny

Add garlic.

Agitate to let the garlic brown.

When the garlic gets a hint past golden brown, apply meat.

Brown the meat. Stir occasionally while prepping vegetables. Use the spatula to chop up the meat to ensure all the meat is consistently brown

Open cans of tomato bits
Chop mushrooms and bellpeppers into bits. Try to keep all the pieces around the half-inch size.

When the meat gets to a nice even brown, push it all to one side and drain the fat with a spoon. (There'll be a tiny bit left, but that's okay)

Return pan to stove and add tomato goop. Stir.

When the mixture starts bubbling again, add vegetables.

Let the mass simmer for about 10 minutes.

Season to taste, starting as soon as the meat is browned. I tend to use about 3 spoons worth of montreal steak spice mix, added gradually, and then I add red pepper flakes and black pepper as I see fit. The tomato sauce tends to carry enough salt by itself. This last batch, I also added parsley.

The whole process, end to end, takes about 30 minutes or so. The result is a very heavy meatsauce. I used the spatula to slice out chunks that just spread over the spaghetti noodles under it's own weight, like a blob of mud.

Thanks to Stir Fry Kitty

Bacon and Cheddar Beer Bread

• 3 cups sifted White Lily self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 envelopes Goya ham flavoring
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar
• 1/2 cup cooked real bacon pieces
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer

In food processor fitted with the chopping blade, first 4 ingredients Add butter. Process in pulses until it resembles meal. Stir in cheese and bacon. Package airtight and store in the refrigerator. Give along with a bottle of beer and baking instructions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch bread pan. Empty contents of package into a mixing bowl. Make a well in center of ingredients. Pour beer into well. Stir by hand just until ingredients are blended. Spread batter evenly in bread pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from
oven and place on cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pan. Bread slices cleaner and neater if allowed to cool before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

Thanks to Peggy at Cajun Cooking Recipes

Kraut Burgers (Runzas)

• 1 pound fresh ground meat [turkey or ground beef chuck] *
• 1 small white onion [chopped]
• 1/2 cup beer
• Black Pepper
• 1/2 head of green cabbage [coarsely chopped]
• 1 lb. frozen bread dough [thawed]
• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 350 degrees oven temperature
• two cookie sheets [greased or sprayed with non-stick PAM]

First, you brown your meat and chopped onion. I used ground turkey. [*my grandmother and mother used leftover shaved beef roast] Once the ground meat is browned thoroughly, I add one half cup of beer! [The alcohol cooks out of it, and gives a really 'special' flavor!

Add chopped cabbage and 1/2 cup beer

Add black pepper and stir to coat meat, cabbage and onion

Reduce heat, and cover....allowing mixture to cook more thoroughly and cabbage and onion to become soft, translucent--

When cabbage is limp, then remove from heat to cool.

In the meantime, divide the 1 lb bread loaf [thawed] into eight 'biscuit' sized balls

...with your hands, flatten each 'biscuit' to about 4 inches in diameter. Add about 1/2 cup of meat [USING A SLOTTED SPOON SO JUICES CAN DRAIN], onion and cabbage mixture and fold dough over the mixture. Pinch dough to secure tightly.
[Note: if your mixture is too hot, the dough will split from the heat and make it very difficult to fold without breaking open!]

Place your meat pockets -- the runzas on the prepared cookie sheets, allowing room for rising, cooking dough--- Bake until nicely browned. Baste finished runza [kraut burgers] with melted butter...giving them a beautiful finish.

Serve hot! I love 'em with yellow mustard dipping sauce. Dill pickle slices.

Thanks to Hootin' Anni