American Craft Beer Week

In celebration of American Craft Beer week, May 17th - May 23rd, I have decided to post and cook a recipe for each day of the week. For anyone that wants to cook along, the recipes are posted below, make sure to read through all of the recipes, some call for overnight marinades. There is just one thing to remember, when having dinner all the recipes should be paired with the same beer that they are made with. Enjoy and post feedback if you try out the recipes!

Monday:
Thai PA Green Shrimp Curry
o 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk, chilled
o 4 oz Founder’s Centennial IPA or other citrus/floral American IPA
o 2 t Thai green curry paste
o 1# shrimp, peeled and deveined
o 2 T Thai fish sauce
o 2 carrots, sliced into batons
o 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
o 3/4 # baby spinach
o 3 T chopped cilantro
o 1 C jasmine rice
o 2 T butter
o 1 T Salt

Heat 3 C water, butter and salt to a boil. Stir in jasmine rice, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until water is just absorbed. Do not stir while cooking. When water has been absorbed, remove from heat and keep covered for at least 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

In a heavy skillet or wok heat 1/3 C of coconut cream from top of coconut milk over moderate heat, stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add IPA and curry paste and cook, whisking for about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and sauté the mixture over moderately high heat until the shrimp turns pink. Add the coconut milk and the fish sauce and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally until the shrimp are cooked through. Transfer the shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add carrots and bell pepper to skilled and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spinach, in batches, stirring until each batch is wilted, return the shrimp to the skillet and simmer the mixture for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the dish with coriander and serve it with rice.

Tuesday:
Grilled Raspberry Lime Chicken with Orange Couscous
o 12 oz Raspberry Lambic
o 2 oz Lime Juice plus one lime to garnish
o 2 sprigs mint
o 1 t Salt
o 1 t White Pepper
o 4 Chicken Breasts (5-8 oz each)
o 1 C couscous
o 3/4 C Orange juice
o 1 t cinnamon
o 1/2 t salt

In a ziploc bag place the chicken breasts, raspberry lambic, lime juice, mint, 1 t salt and white pepper. Toss so chicken is fully coated. Refrigerate overnight, turning over at least once.

Remove chicken from marinade and cook on hot grill, about 5 minutes a side, until juices run clear.

In a pan, bring 3/4 C Orange Juice and 1 C water with cinnamon and salt to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. Serve couscous alongside chicken with lime wedges.


Wednesday:
Grilled Bratwurst with onions and sauerkraut
o 12 oz witbier
o 12 oz water
o 4 cardamom pods, crushed
o 3 cloves
o 1 small onion, julienned
o 3 T butter
o 8 oz sauerkraut
o 6 bratwurst, raw

In a medium saucepan over medium low, melt 2 T butter and add onions. Cook until onions caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add water and scrape bottom of pan so that all brown bits are removed. Add witbier, cardamom and cloves and bring to a boil. Add bratwurst and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and cool. Transfer all ingredients to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

Remove bratwurst from cooking liquid and grill until outside is caramelized. Strain onions out of cooking liquid, reserving ½ C liquid. Melt 1 T butter in pan, add reserved onions, reserved liquid and sauerkraut. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve on top of bratwurst with whole grain mustard on a bun.

Thursday:
Three Mushroom Risotto
o 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, sliced
o 5 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
o 5 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
o 1 large onion, diced
o 2 T olive oil
o 1 C Arborio rice
o 1 C Sand Creek Ulrich’s Dopplebock or other dark dopplebock
o 3 1/2 C Vegetable stock, heated
o 1/2 C Grated Parmesan-Reggiano
o Salt, to taste
o Pepper, to taste

Soak dried mushrooms in room temperature beer for 1 hour. Drain mushrooms from liquid, reserve liquid.

In large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until softened. Add mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add Arborio rice and cook until outside of rice kernel is translucent. Add reserved liquid from mushrooms and cook until almost all of the liquid is gone, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 C vegetable stock and cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Continue this process until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Stir in parmesan and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Friday:
Cervesa Braised Pork Butt
o 1 T Coriander, ground
o 1 T Cumin, Ground
o 2 T Salt
o 1 T Black Pepper, ground
o 1 T Mustard seed, ground
o 2 T brown sugar
o 1 t cayenne pepper
o 3-4# pork butt
o 12 oz beer
o 3 oz lime juice
o 1 t coriander, ground
o 1/2 t cumin, ground
o 1/2 t salt
o 1 t black pepper, ground
o 1 t mustard seed, ground

Combine first 7 ingredients and rub all over pork. Place in roasting pan, cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 2 days. Heat oven to 225 degrees. Pour beer into bottom of roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and roast in oven for 8-9 hours (however long your work day is). Pull out of oven and let cool for 1 hour on counter (or until it is cool enough to handle). Pull pork apart into bite size pieces. Mix lime juice, and last 5 spices in bowl. Toss with pork. Your may now cover and refrigerate for up to 7 days. To reheat, place desired amount in baking dish and heat, covered in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with rice and vegetables or on tortillas as burritos or tacos.

Saturday:
Grilled Filet Mignon with Kwak Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes
o 2 – 8 oz tenderloin steaks
o 2 slices thick cut bacon
o 8 oz mushrooms
o 4 oz Pauwel Kwak
o 4 T butter
o 2 T flour
o salt, to taste
o pepper, to taste
o 3 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
o 1/4 C milk

Heat grill. Wrap tenderloin steaks in bacon, season each side with salt and pepper. Grill to desired temperature.
In 6 qt. pot add diced potatoes and fill pot 3/4 full of water. Add good amount of salt. Heat until boiling, cook until potatoes are fork tender, drain. Put pot back on burner, add 2 T butter and 1/4 C milk and heat until butter is melted. Add potatoes back in, mash and season with salt and pepper. Add more milk if needed to get the desired consistency.

Meanwhile in another pan, melt remaining butter and sauté mushrooms until they begin to brown. Add flour and stir until all liquid is absorbed. Cook 3-4 minutes until light golden brown color is achieved. Add Pauwel Kwak and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and reserve until ready to serve, then spoon mushrooms over steak.

Sunday:
Beef and Broccoli in Stout Oyster Sauce
o 1# lean beef, cut into narrow strips
o Black pepper
o 3 T soy sauce
o 3 T + 3/4 C oatmeal stout
o 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
o 1 t crushed red pepper
o 1# fresh broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
o 3 green onions
o 1 T corn starch
o 2 T oyster sauce
o 2 T cooking oil
o 1 1/2 C jasmine rice
o 2 T Butter
o 1 T Salt

Season the beef strips with black pepper. Combine beef, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper and 3 T stout in a Ziploc bag. Toss and marinate in fridge for at least one hour, up to overnight.

Prepare the vegetables and place them in a bowl near where you plan to cook.

Prepare the sauce by combining the remaining stout, oyster sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir until the cornstarch in completely dissolved.

Heat 3 C water, butter and salt to a boil. Stir in jasmine rice, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until water is just absorbed. Do not stir while cooking. When water has been absorbed, remove from heat and keep covered for at least 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

Drain the beef and discard the marinade. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. When the oil is hot add the beef and stir-fry until it is cooked through.

Remove the meat from the skillet. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until the onions just turn tender. Add cooked beef and sauce. Stir to make sure the ingredients are coated with the sauce. Cook until sauce thickens.

Serve over the rice.

Hooray for Goat Cheese

Here is a fun little appetizer and pasta dish featuring some goat cheese.

Chevre Stuffed Peppers
4 oz soft chevre
1 sprig basil, chopped
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper
24 Peppadew peppers

Mix cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Stuff mixture inside peppers and enjoy!



Purple Haze Fettucinne

1/2# Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 C Sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, julienned
1/4 C + 1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 C Basil chiffonade
4 oz Cypress Grove Purple Haze, brought to room temperature
8 oz Whole Wheat Fettucinne noodles
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

In large stock pot, heat salted water to boiling. Cook fettuccine to just under al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion until it has softened. Add shrimp and cook until almost pink. Remove shrimp from pan. Add remaining olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Then toss in shrimp and fettuccine. Toss to coat all noodles, season with salt and pepper. Cook until noodles are heated and shrimp has finished cooking. Turn of heat and crumble in goat cheese, toss with pasta. Serve with more basil as garnish.

Jajik - Cold Cucumber Soup

I had a request for the cold cucumber soup recipe that I used to serve at Haymarket. As that wasn't my own recipe and I don't want to give out others secrets, here is one that I enjoy.

Jajik
Serves 6
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 tomato, seeded
16 oz plain yogurt
1/2 C chopped mint
1/2 t cayenne pepper
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
ice water to thin the yogurt

Dice cucumbers and tomato. Combine all ingredients except water. Add water until you have your desired consistency. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving. Garnish with mint sprig.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner and is traditionally one of the biggest restaurant days of the year. Well, why go out and pay for dinner along with a gift when you can give the gift of a home cooked meal? Here's a little menu that will give some great seasonal foods a showcase in an easy to cook Mother's Day menu:

Mixed Greens with Toasted Walnuts, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Brie and a White Wine Vinaigrette
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Lime Vinaigrette
Grilled Asparagus
Roasted Potatoes
Rhubarb Cobbler

Mixed Greens with Toasted Walnuts, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Brie
Serves 4 as starter salad
8 oz Mixed Greens
2 oz Toasted Walnuts
4 oz Sundried Tomatoes
4 oz Brie
1 T White Wine Vinegar
1 T Dry White Wine
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a bowl, toss together greens, walnuts and tomatoes. In a separate bowl whisk together vinegar, wine, salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Drizzle over greens and toss. Divide between four bowls and top with sliced Brie.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4
1 1/2 # Pork Loin
1 T Coriander seed, ground
1 T Cumin seed, ground
1 T Yellow mustard seed, ground
3 T Kosher salt
1 T Black pepper, ground
2 T Brown sugar
Combine all spices and rub over tenderloin. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to a day. To cook: Over hot grill, place just off the coals and cook for 7 minutes. Turn and cook for 7 more minutes. Check temperature, pull from grill when it has reached 140. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Lime Vinaigrette
1 t Dijon Mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t cumin seed, ground
2 T lime juice
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together all ingredients, except olive oil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified.

Grilled Asparagus
Serves 4
1 bunch of asparagus, pencil size (about 1#)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Clean asparagus and place on sheet pan. Drizzle with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss so that all of the asparagus is coated in oil. Over hot grill, place asparagus in single layer. Cook about 3 minutes per side until asparagus is softened, but has a slight firmness to it. It should take about 8 minutes total.

Roasted Potatoes
4 medium large Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
3 T garlic powder
2 T kosher salt
3 T black pepper
1/8 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Toss all ingredients in a bowl and spread on a sheet pan. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes, stirring once at 20 minutes.

Rhubarb Cobbler
1 # Rhubarb, chopped
1/2 C brown sugar
2 T sweet white wine
1 T lemon juice
1 t cinnamon
1 C flour
1 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 C milk
1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In sauce pan, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook until rhubarb has slightly softened and sugar is all dissolve. In separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk and stir until it is a thick batter, if need add a dash more milk. Melt butter in 8x8 baking dish in oven. When butter is melted, pour in batter and do not stir. Then top gently spoon over rhubarb mixture and sprinkle the top with ground cinnamon. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into dough comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Whipped Cream
8 oz Heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
Put metal bowl in freezer for 5 minutes. Remove and put in cream. Beat with hand mixer until it is slightly firm. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Concept and a few recipes

To talk a little bit more about this concept: My goal is to show others how to cook from scratch on a daily basis and how to make cooking a habit, not a chore. I believe that cooking from scratch does many valuable things for people including bringing people closer when they cook together, improving your health by not eating processed materials and saving you money. Those are the three ideals that I would like to accomplish through this program. I aim to show recipes and methods that people can use with family and friends to cook home made meals. I aim to show people how to cook items that are healthy for them, improving how you feel emotionally and physically on a day to day basis. I aim to show people how to buy products that will cost them less money while providing great flavor. A few recipes that I believe in and will share in these classes include Thai Green Curry, Risotto Milanese, Slow Roasted Pulled Pork, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Roasted Potatoes, Seasonal Salsas and Guacamole, Indian Curries, Chicken and Tomato Pilaf, Shrimp and Grits, Stuffed Tomatoes, Italian Sausage, Pizza and much, much more.

Class list ideas

So I have a few ideas for class themes, so I would like to offer them up so people can have an idea of what you might be able to pick out before discussing classes with me.

Class Themes:
Mexican
Italian
Indian
SE Asian
German
American
Picnic
Barbecue
Desserts
Vegetarian

This just the tip of the iceberg, any suggestions and ideas will be taken and helped to design what you want out of your classes. As things roll along, I will post recipes that I will be offering in the classes.