Category Archives: entree

Cooking with beer

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I’ve been working on a story about cooking with beer and now I’m slightly obsessed. It’s really amazing how many recipes you can add a little beer to. And how well just one tablespoon can compliment the dish. It can add richness to soups, breads and, even, desserts.

You can caramelize onions in it and put them on top of a steak or burger. Use it in sauces and gravy. Or to batter shrimp. Steam a bratwurst in it. You can even dump a couple tablespoons in your pancake mix. There’s the obviously beer breads and chocolate stout cupcakes. But you can also add a Belgian fruit lambic to a berry crisp.

And that’s just to name a few. Isn’t that awesome?!

But first, one of our favorite beer recipes: Stout Chili.

Stout Chili
(makes 8 servings)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound beef sirloin, cubed
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle stout beer
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
4 fresh hot chile peppers, seeded and choppedHeat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, ground beef and cubed sirloin in oil for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender. Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, oregano, cayenne, coriander and salt. Stir in 2 cans of beans and hot chile peppers. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Stir in 2 remaining cans of beans and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Roasted Potato Leek soup

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There is nothing like curling up with a warm bowl (or two) of soup and some homemade bread when the weather is cold.

Temperatures dropped yesterday so I finally dusted off my soup cookbook and made Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Potato Leek soup. I’ve made this several different times, but this time I decided to change it up a bit. There was no arugula at the store so I substituted fresh rosemary instead. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but it was delicious.

The recipe is a little time consuming since you have to roasted the potatoes and leeks for about an hour before hand, but it’s so worth it.

Roasted Potato Leek soup
adapted from the Food Network, Barefoot Contessa

  • 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
  • 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons rosemary
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
  • 6 to 7 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarians)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream (I used milk, cut down the calories a bit)
  • 8 ounces creme fraiche
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Remove the pan from the oven and place over 2 burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they’re all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, creme fraiche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan.

Carrot Almond Soup

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Photo by Sara Davidson

It’s a new year, with new goals and resolutions.

For the past several years I’ve tried to come up with 100 new recipes for the year. I’ve been pretty successful and have found some real gem recipes that we now eat over and over and over again. This is one of them.

The yogurt sauce is the perfect balance of cream and tang and goes perfect on top of the soup. I can never get enough and eat seconds and thirds and then clean my husband’s and my plate with homemade bread.

It’s the perfect winter meal.

Carrot Almond Soup
from the Food Network
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole almonds
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the almonds and stir until toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts with a slotted spoon to a small plate and reserve.

Add the carrots, onion, salt, cumin, coriander, ginger, and pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook until the vegetables brown, about 4 minutes more.

Add the water and chickpeas to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until the beans are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, cilantro, and lemon zest in a small bowl.

Roughly chop the reserved almonds. Transfer half of the almonds and half of the soup to a blender. Pulse at first, and then puree, to make a smooth soup base. Return the pureed soup to the pot and heat. Stir in the yogurt mixture, divide among warmed bowls, and serve with the remaining chopped almonds sprinkled on top.

Chilean cuisine

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I love food. And even more when I travel. It is one of the things I love most about traveling. I’m fascinated with the culture of food, the meals, the flavors, everything.

We recently made a trip to Chile where we had some fantastic meals: empanadas, ceviche, rolls, pisco sours and fish. It was all amazing. Delicioso!

Now that I’m home and it’s a new year I’m inspired to recreate some of these dishes at home.

Vegetarian white bean soup

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Winter is not my favorite season but I love soup season. There is nothing better than a day on the slopes and having a nice bowl of soup.
The cold has finally set in in Utah and I’ve already made a half dozen different soups and fresh bread. But the vegetarian white bean soup is one of my all-time favorites. Even my meat-eating husband will eat seconds.

Vegetarian white bean soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 package of Tofurkey sun dried tomato and basil vegetarian sausages
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can of great northern beans
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag spinach
1 zucchini, quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut in half
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400-degrees.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sausages and cook, stirring once, until browned (about 2 minutes). Stir in garlic and onions and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, zucchini, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, turn heat down to a simmer. Stir occasionally.
While the soup is cooking on the stove, roast the red bell pepper in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, until soft.
Allow the pepper to cool and dice and add to the simmering soup.
Add the spinach to the soup to wilt for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve with fresh bread.

Southwestern Grilled Radicchio Chopped Salad

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This post has been a long time coming. Sorry for the long delay. I discovered this salad over the summer and have been dying to make it again. I’ve had grilled romaine salads before but never had one with the smoky, southwestern flavor like this one. It makes a great side dish to some cumin crusted chicken or just as a main dish. Southwestern Grilled Radicchio Chopped Salad

Creamy Smoked Jalapeno-Tequila-Lime Dressing
1 shallot, quartered
2 clove garlic, minced
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo
2 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1/2 tablespoon kosher Salt
For The Salad
1/8 cup olive oil
2 heads Treviso radicchio, quartered lengthwise
1 small head romaine, quartered lengthwise
2  yellow corn whole, husk removed (or a bag of frozen corn)
1/4 cup black eyed peas, cooked and rinsed (or black beans)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, julienne
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 hard-cooked egg, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup queso fresco
In a food processor or blender, Place all ingredients for the dressing in food processor or blender and blend for 30 second or until light and creamy. Set aside.
Preheated grill on medium-high heat. Brush the radicchio, romaine and yellow corn lightly with the olive oil. Grill until lightly charred but still crisp, turning so that all sides are quickly grilled, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from the grill, and chill in refrigerator. When cold, dice radicchio and romaine into 1 inch dice. Take the yellow corn and remove kernel from husk with a knife.
Toss chopped radicchio and romaine with the grilled corn, black eyed peas, sun dried tomatoes, green onions, egg and cilantro. Toss with the dressing. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
4. Mound a quarter of the salad onto each of four plates. Top with crumbled queso fresco. Serve immediately.

Pappardelle with corn

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This year I cursed my garden all season. There weren’t enough zucchini. The tomatoes were late. The butternut squash never grew. But as the cold sets in and the basil leaves start to turn brown, I’m struggling to hold on to every last morsel of my garden.
For the past month I’ve been squirreling away vegetables and fruit; freezing bags full of fresh raspberries, corn and cherries. I canned tomato sauce, applesauce and peaches. And I blanched and froze spinach, greens and zucchini. My freezer and my cupboards are bursting with memories of the warm summer months. And in one last attempt to save everything I picked all my semi-red (and green) cherry tomatoes, which are spread out in pans in our window.
Sigh.
Tonight’s meal encompassed all of the summer flavors. Fresh corn. Fresh tomatoes. Fresh basil.
Even if it was all from the freezer, it was delicious.
It’s always hard to say goodbye to summer.

Pappardelle With Corn
adapted from the Food Network’s recipe
Salt
2 ears corn, shucked
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup white wine
12 ounces pappardelle pasta (I used whole wheat egg noodles)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for topping (my favorite is Heber Valley’s Aggiano)
Torn basil, for topping

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with tongs, reserving the boiling water. Let the corn cool slightly, then cut off the kernels.
Melt 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until the tomatoes soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the corn water as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the vegetable broth and corn kernels to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
Add the pasta to the skillet; add the green onions, parmesan, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, adding the reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with parmesan and basil.

Grilled Kale

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I really love kale. My husband, not-so-much. This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve made this summer. It’s easy to do and really healthy. After a first and failed attempt at growing kale in my garden last  year, I decided to try again. This year it seemed to flourish. Maybe it was the cold, snowy spring, better soil, a different variety. Who knows. Either way, I have TONS of kale that I can’t eat fast enough. During the summer, my husband and I love to cook outside and enjoy all the extra sun and cooler evenings. When researching different ways to cook kale I found none for the grill. So I decided to kind of make one up.

Grilled Kale
1 can Garbanzo beans
a bunch of kale, washed and destemmed
1 T paprika
1 tsp red chili flakes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the grill to about 450-degrees (you could also do it in the oven, if you’d prefer). Toss all the ingredients together and transfer to a grilling basket. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the kale starts to crisp. Serve over whole grains like quinoa, barley or couscous.