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Not just pub grub anymore (not that there's anything wrong with that), beer & food pairings have come a long way! Here we aim to show the versatility of beer with food, as well as sharing recipes for cooking with beer.
Is there a 12 step program for Sushi addicts?
OK, so a little back story for everyone:
When I was a kid, I hated fish, but I loved fishing.
I hated asian food of all types, but learned to love eating fish and chips at "The Good Earth" - much to the delight of the owners - since I was the only kid they knew that ate my decidedly non-chinese dinner with chopsticks on their insistance. "If you're not going to eat our food, you should at least eat with chopsticks." It was a challenge I delighted in mastering early on. Eventually, I grew up and came to love asian foods in general.
Fast forward a few years and it was on a late night postering run for the Pyramid with John Palypchuck that I was introduced to the delights of Sushi at Edo on Ellice.
"So, what's in this one, John."
"Eel, fish eggs, and something else tasty, just eat, it's good for you."
OK...
And so it began, but it's difficult for me to get the time to enjoy Sushi simply because Nicole's not a fan, and so the ritual of "going for sushi" is non-existant.
Until now! Keep in mind that never have I professed to be an expert in the Sushi arts - but I know what I like, and I'm enjoying the hell out of working my way through the menu at Sushi Place (Portage & Hampton) a couple of rolls at a time.
The location for me is the kicker, because it's just up the road from the brewery. The further I get into the menu, the more good stuff I find. Jane (pictured here) makes a Kimchee Roll that is unbelieveably yummy, with plenty of garlicky goodness. Why is it so good? She makes the Kimchee herself - from scratch, no prepackaged cabbage for this lady! You gotta respect craft, and IMHO this is well crafted.
So what has this got to do with beer. Well, nothing really, but who cares? I bet it would go well with a nice Weizen Heimer (coming up in April 2010) but really, I'm just happy I can have something clean, healthy, and not brown (deep fried) as an option for a quick meal.So Cheers to Jane and Co. at Sushi Place for keeping St. James interesting, and from what I can see, running a very successful part of the neighbourhood.
Eat! Bistro
After setting up our booth at the Flatlander's Beer Festival, Zach and I headed out to dinner over at Eat! Bistro located in the same building as Aqua Books. After a short time getting aquainted with the menu, we decided to take the suggestions contained and have a little bit of a couple of dishes to share (how metrosexual of us). This was my first experiance at this restaurant and I'd have to say now I will be back.
It was very much like a tapas type menu with little bits of too many interesting things to fit into one meal.
It sounds like Chef Candace Hughes is a bit of a smartass after my own heart. "And if you want a big hunk of meat, the Keg is down the street. " Ha! Way to draw your line in the sand, Candace.
I ordered some Lemon Chicken soup and the special Margerita Flatbread of the day. Both nice and fresh tasting. The soup was a rich broth with a softened tang from the lemon. I think it had a day or two to meld as it had a good consistant twang throughout.
The flatbread had bright veggie flavours from the onion and tomato, with just the right garlic blast.
Zach was insistant on Onion Rings (look at the size of it!). There's something to be said for a restaurant that doesn't make greasy Onion Rings. I guess it is possible, though all evidence I've gathered insofar made me believe the contrary. We tried them out with a curried mayo that blended well with the crispy tempura batter.
Below, you'll see the Mexican Wontons with Tex Mex Rice and Smoky Chipotle Sauce, which were quite good though I may have preferred a slightly spicier Chipotle sauce with them. Seriously, I'm not a restaurant reviewer. From what I understand, it doesn't take much more than a desire to eat and a computer these days (if you write for the FP, an odd affinity for Dim Sum seems required, too), so take it with whatever grain of salt you wish.
A couple of Sweet Chai Spiced Ice Teas and we were set.
Overall, a good time was had by all. Special thanks to our server Kayla. I hope I spelled it right, she did repeat it twice, but I'm deaf sometimes. I should just call her Vanna as she was kind enough to show you that this place has impeccable taste in a certain brewery's beer. Not only is that one available at the moment, but they had our others, too. Cheers to them!
We headed back to the fest with a sampling of 3 cookies too. Ginger Snap, Rolo, and Smarties. Can you believe it, Chris wasn't even there and he snaked the Rolo from us. Oh well, I'll just have to go back and get my own.
Labels: Appetizer, Eat Bistro, Mexican, Savoury
A Recipe From The Armoire... Soup.
I just got an e-mail from Chef Craig Guenther over at the Winnipeg Winter Club that has me salivating. He planning a dinner for the membership based on a German theme, and one of the courses was a potato soup. Mmm...
Which got me thinking - it's soup season. With the drizzly, wet coast weather we've been having lately, I thought it's be a good idea to share a simple cold weather recipe with everyone.
Potato & Bacon Soup
1 pound alder smoked bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 bottle Oktoberfest Lager
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, saute the celery and onion until onion begins to turn clear. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, beer, and tarragon. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Optional ingredients:
Red & green bell pepper diced
ham bone (remove before serving!)
Cheddar Cheese
Chives or green onions to garnish
Sour cream
Read chard or Swiss chard (add just as you're adding the cream mix)
Which got me thinking - it's soup season. With the drizzly, wet coast weather we've been having lately, I thought it's be a good idea to share a simple cold weather recipe with everyone.
Potato & Bacon Soup
1 pound alder smoked bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 bottle Oktoberfest Lager
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, saute the celery and onion until onion begins to turn clear. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, beer, and tarragon. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Optional ingredients:
Red & green bell pepper diced
ham bone (remove before serving!)
Cheddar Cheese
Chives or green onions to garnish
Sour cream
Read chard or Swiss chard (add just as you're adding the cream mix)
Labels: German, Oktoberfest Lager, Savoury
Shopping for flavour
It kind of stands to reason that the type of people who won't accept the drivel foisted upon them by mega-breweries (and unfortunately, some of the small ones) are usually the type of people who'd get a kick out of hitting up a grocery store other than your standard big box feed lot.
Nicole and I are two such people. We hit up Dino's (460 Notre Dame) the other day and came home with a nice selection of tamales, short grain rice, naan bread, manitoba made corn flour tortillas and such. It's inspirational to sniff your way through the aisles and stand there trying to figure out what your next great experiment will be.
The beauty in Dino's lies in the fact that you'll be standing in one aisle eyeing up the industrial sized can of White Hominy Corn and you'll smell something two aisles away that piques your interest. I usually find myself wondering, "what do they cook with that?" or "wouldn't it be neat to try making those myself?"
Here's a couple of recipes you can play with for the pre-beer hours...
Grits & Eggs
1 can white hominy corn (drained and rinsed)
Pop the corn into a pot and cover with about an inch of water. Boil for 5 minutes, then take a hand blender and roughly blend up the mixture. It should look something like a chunky cream of wheat when you're done. Stir in two tablespoons of butter and grind in some fresh pepper.
Optional additions:
1/4 cup of cheese (Cheddar works well, but so does Jarlesberg or your favorite)
1 crushed garlic clove
chopped chives
finely diced hot peppers
How do you like your eggs? I prefer mine poached soft, or over easy - to each their own. I usually serve the eggs on top of the grits in a bowl. Sometimes I like a slice of thick buttered toast from Tallgrass or a heavily caraway'd rye toast with this, too.
Papa Farley's (Originally Uncle Ed's) Beer Cakes
This one's simple:
Your favorite "add water" pancake mix (minus the water)
Your favorite beer (Half Pints, of course)
Use the beer to make the pancakes. You won't be dissapointed. My grandpa guarantees it - so does Uncle Ed. I'd have to say that the Stir Stick Stout would make an excellent choice for this one, but it's up to you.
Serve it with warm manitoba maple syrup (you're worth it) and butter.
Nicole and I are two such people. We hit up Dino's (460 Notre Dame) the other day and came home with a nice selection of tamales, short grain rice, naan bread, manitoba made corn flour tortillas and such. It's inspirational to sniff your way through the aisles and stand there trying to figure out what your next great experiment will be.
The beauty in Dino's lies in the fact that you'll be standing in one aisle eyeing up the industrial sized can of White Hominy Corn and you'll smell something two aisles away that piques your interest. I usually find myself wondering, "what do they cook with that?" or "wouldn't it be neat to try making those myself?"
Here's a couple of recipes you can play with for the pre-beer hours...
Grits & Eggs
1 can white hominy corn (drained and rinsed)
Pop the corn into a pot and cover with about an inch of water. Boil for 5 minutes, then take a hand blender and roughly blend up the mixture. It should look something like a chunky cream of wheat when you're done. Stir in two tablespoons of butter and grind in some fresh pepper.
Optional additions:
1/4 cup of cheese (Cheddar works well, but so does Jarlesberg or your favorite)
1 crushed garlic clove
chopped chives
finely diced hot peppers
How do you like your eggs? I prefer mine poached soft, or over easy - to each their own. I usually serve the eggs on top of the grits in a bowl. Sometimes I like a slice of thick buttered toast from Tallgrass or a heavily caraway'd rye toast with this, too.
Papa Farley's (Originally Uncle Ed's) Beer Cakes
This one's simple:
Your favorite "add water" pancake mix (minus the water)
Your favorite beer (Half Pints, of course)
Use the beer to make the pancakes. You won't be dissapointed. My grandpa guarantees it - so does Uncle Ed. I'd have to say that the Stir Stick Stout would make an excellent choice for this one, but it's up to you.
Serve it with warm manitoba maple syrup (you're worth it) and butter.
Labels: Breakfast, Savoury, Stir Stick Stout
Open House Day
Well, it's the night before our open house, and I thought it might be wise to get the recipes we'll be tasting down on the site here so everyone can try them at home.
We'll be sampling Phil's Pils with a Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip.
We'll also be sampling Weizen Heimer and grilling up some bratwurst basted with Weizen Heimer. They'll be finished off by dipping with a simple Dijon Mustard and Bulldog Amber Ale sauce.
Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip
55 g. butter
40 g. flour
175 ml. Little Scrapper IPA
160 ml. half & half cream
80 g. chopped fresh chives
30 g. Dijon mustard (one with lots of seeds)
115 g. cream cheese
180 g. bleu cheese
115 g. white cheddar
Crackers, bread sticks, whatever for dipping
We'll be sampling Phil's Pils with a Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip.
We'll also be sampling Weizen Heimer and grilling up some bratwurst basted with Weizen Heimer. They'll be finished off by dipping with a simple Dijon Mustard and Bulldog Amber Ale sauce.
Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip
55 g. butter
40 g. flour
175 ml. Little Scrapper IPA
160 ml. half & half cream
80 g. chopped fresh chives
30 g. Dijon mustard (one with lots of seeds)
115 g. cream cheese
180 g. bleu cheese
115 g. white cheddar
Crackers, bread sticks, whatever for dipping
- In a large saute pan, simmer the butter, then add the flour and stir.
- Add the Little Scrapper IPA and the half & half, stirring and simmering for a few minutes - enjoy the remainder of the bottle while finishing up!
- Add the chopped chives, Dijon mustard and cream cheese - stir & simmer.
- Add chunks of bleu cheese and cheddar a bit at a time. Make sure each addition melts before you add more.
- Get your dipping material set, pour yourself and your guests a Phil's Pils, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
The above recipe is from the book Extreme Brewing by Sam Calagione - owner of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Grilled Brats with Dijon and Bulldog Amber Ale Mustard
6 Bratwurst Sausages
1 Bottle Weizen Heimer
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Bulldog Amber Ale (drink the rest of the open bottle)
- Get your grill smoking hot and cook the bratwurst through
- during the grilling, keep any flames at bay by dousing the bratwurst with Weizen Heimer
- between drinking your open bottle of Heimer, and grilling brats,
- take your favourite grainy Dijon mustard and mix in the Bulldog Amber Ale to make a simple sauce
When the brats are cooked through, just serve them up with a simple potato salad and a bottle or two of Weizen Heimer. Enjoy!
Thanks in advance to everyone who's coming out to the open house - we'll have a great time.
Labels: Appetizer, Little Scrapper IPA, Savoury, Weizen Heimer