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)

Labels: German, Oktoberfest Lager, Savoury

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.

Labels: Breakfast, Savoury, Stir Stick Stout

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

1. In a large saute pan, simmer the butter, then add the flour and stir.
2. 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!
3. Add the chopped chives, Dijon mustard and cream cheese - stir & simmer.
4. Add chunks of bleu cheese and cheddar a bit at a time. Make sure each addition melts before you add more.
5. 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)

1. Get your grill smoking hot and cook the bratwurst through
2. during the grilling, keep any flames at bay by dousing the bratwurst with Weizen Heimer
3. between drinking your open bottle of Heimer, and grilling brats,
4. 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