Is It Beer Yet?

This weekend we ventured into a new territory for us, home brewing. With all the great local microbrews here we really debated whether or not we wanted to try making our own beer. But I think the more Matt read the more he wanted to try his own hand at it. So, for Christmas I gave him a gift certificate to Midwest Supplies to get all the supplies he needed to get started.

We're really lucky to have a place like Midwest Supplies close by. The place is huge & has everything we need from equipment, books, kits, whole grains & advice. My parents gave Matt a kit with all the grains, hops, malt & yeast to make Flat Tire Ale which seemed like a good starter beer.

The grains, in the case barley, get put into a mesh bag & simmered at 155 F in 3 gallons of water for about 30 minutes. Already you can see the color of beer starting to come through.

The grain seeps for another 10 minutes off the heat & then is removed. It can be composed or left out for the birds like we did. Matt thinks it would make a great addition to bread, has anyone ever tried this?

Then the malt extract is added, it looked & tasted just like caramel. The water is then brought to a boil & the bittering hops are added. Whoa what a smell!

Brewing doesn't seem to be a lot of work but there is a lot of time spent watching a pot making sure it keeps its heat or doesn't boil over. The wort boils for an hour & aroma hops are added the last two minutes. These hops really smelled like the Fat Tire beer we were attempting to get the flavor of.

The wort then needs to be cooled as quickly as possible. We tried putting it in a snow bank but it melted the snow around it so fast (plus it was slippery out & Matt was afraid of spilling). A bathtub fill of cold water plus the addition of an addition gallon of cold water to the pot brought our wort down to 80 F in about 20 minutes. Matt then took a sample & tested its starting gravity. We'll test the gravity again before bottling to see what the alcohol level is.


Finally, the wort gets poured into the fermenting bucket. Matt whisked it briskly to add oxygen that the yeast will need. We used a dry yeast which just get sprinkled over the top of the wort. The top of the fermenter goes on & the airlock goes in place.

By the next morning our airlock was bubbling away letting us know the yeast was alive & doing it's thing. It'll work it's magic for a week & then it'll be time for the second fermentation, stay tuned...

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 1/17 - 1/22/11

A couple beginning of the week food notes...

We found yet another use for our crock pot beef last week & turned some of it into a cottage pie. Basically, I sautéed up some diced carrots, celery & onion. Then I mixed in the crock pot beef, some frozen peas, 1 tablespoon on tomato paste, a few dashes of malt vinegar & a about 1/2 c water. I let it cook until the water was gone & the veggies tender. Put in all in a baking dish & top with some garlic mashed potatoes then bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes. Dinner done!

Ann over at Pizzeria Lola made Matt's weekend yesterday by offering her homemade kimchi & Korean sausage as the pizza special. He had been waiting for her to start bringing her Korean background into some of the pizza toppings & here it was all the way. A little too spicy for wimpy me but it had Matt grinning ear to ear. He says that Korean sausage should be on the menu all the time not just as a special. Ann hinted at a Korean short rib appetizer coming soon & we can't wait to try it.

On to Menu Planning Monday...
Not much cooking going on this week as Matt is heading to Austin, TX for work (think he'll bring me back some brisket?) & I have a couple dinners out planned.

Yosemite Cheddar Cheese & Beer Soup - A request from Matt that'll make good leftovers for me for the week.

Curried Vegetable Pie - Another take on the pot pie.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Slow Cooked Beef Over Hash

This is a dinner worthy of your favorite diner. Beef that has been slow cooked all day in beer served over a simple potato hash. It's hearty & full of flavor.

Also it couldn't be simpler to make...

Slow Cooked Beef Hash

We started with a batch of our 24-Hour Crock Pot Beef. This time though Matt added a little barbecue rub, paprika & worcestershire sauce to the beer for seasoning. Once the beef is tender & falling to shreds cook up your hash.

2 small yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can leave the skin on)
2 T olive oil, divided
kosher salt
1/2 red pepper, seeded & chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 t season salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put the cubed potatoes & 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small roasting pan. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes, you want them to just start getting crispy on the outside. (You could just parboil your potatoes but we found roasting them gets them crispier & helps them retain their shape & texture better in the finished hash.)

In a skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pepper & onions. Sauté until the onions are starting to get tender. Add the roasted potatoes & season salt. Reduce the heat a little & continue to cook until the onions are just starting to get a little brown.

Divide the hash between two plates & serve beef over the top.

2 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Hearty Tomato, Kale and Mushroom Risotto

Last week Lori over at Fake Food Free posted a recipe for a Hearty Tomato, Kale & Mushroom Sauce which she served over homemade pasta. She said it was so good she couldn't wait to make it again. Since it contained all flavors we love I book marked it to try right away though I decided to turn it into a risotto.

Oh, did it ever make for a great rustic risotto full of sweet, rich flavor. It's very different than the cream & cheese filled risottos you often see & much healthier too. This is the kind of dish that makes me happy we blanch & freeze tons of kale when it's in season in the fall.

Hearty Tomato, Kale & Mushroom Risotto
(adapted from Fake Food Free)
I made this risotto with chicken stock because that is what I had on hand but you can use vegetable stock if you want to keep it completely vegetarian.

1 14.5 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 oz kale, blanched for 1 minute, chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t dried oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
pepper
3 c stock (more might be needed)
1 T olive oil
1 T salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced small
3/4 c arborio rice
1/4 c white wine
freshly grated Parmesan

Put the tomatoes, mushrooms*, kale, balsamic vinegar, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes & a few grinds of fresh pepper in a skillet. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer while cooking the risotto rice until the mushrooms have cooked down & most, but not all, of the liquid has cooked away.

Meanwhile bring the stock to a simmer in a small pot. Keep simmering.

In a large, heavy saucepan melt the olive oil & butter over medium heat. Add the garlic & onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the rice & stir until completely coated. Stir in the white wine & cook until absorbed. Then begin adding the stock about 1/2 cup at a time, adding each addition when the one before is absorbed. When all the stock is used up the rice should be tender but still have a slight bite to it. (If you find it still a little uncooked you can add another addition of stock or even some water.)

Stir the tomato mixture into the cooked rice. Taste for seasoning & add salt as needed. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.

Makes 2 servings

* I thought the mushrooms came out perfectly cooked this way but, Matt said he would have preferred they had been sautéed first & then the remaining sauce ingredients added.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Asian Butternut Squash and Rice Soup

Over the holidays the Cooking Channel ran a series of Jamie Oliver Family Holiday Specials. On one of them he made a butternut squash soup full of Asian flavors that sounded so interesting we just had to make it.

There was no official version of the recipe anywhere online but, I found a few people who had attempted to transcribe it from the show & I adapted from there.

We thought it was quite usual when Jamie didn't peel the squash before putting in the soup, wouldn't it stay hard? Surprise, the peel cooked up soft & tasted great. Why have we been wasting time peeling? Also, unlike a lot of butternut squash soups, this one doesn't get puréed but, stays in large chunks.

The spice mixture for this soup smelled amazing with the lime, lemongrass, garlic & ginger. So, we were surprised at how mild the final soup was especially once the coconut milk was added. The lime juice squeezed in at the end really lived all the flavors thankfully. Matt also added a good dash of sriracha. The soup was much thicker than I expected (though Matt remembered it being quite thick on the show) & almost has a rice porridge or congee texture. Quite comforting on a cold winter's night.

Asian Butternut Squash Soup
(adapted from Jamie's Family Holiday TV show)

1 c white rice (we used jasmine rice)
zest of 2 limes
2 6-inch pieces of lemongrass, crushed
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 Fresno pepper, seeded (or go for something hotter if you like)
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 heaping t Asian five spice powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t kosher salt
1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
1 butternut squash, seeded & cut into 1-inch squares (do not bother to peel)
4 c chicken stock
11 oz coconut milk
juice of 2 limes

Cook rice. Rinse & set aside.

Put the lime zest, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, Fresno pepper, olive oil, Asian five spice, cumin & salt into a small food processor. Blend into a smooth paste.

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the spice mixture & sauté for 1 minute. Add the onions & cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the squash & stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice & simmer another 10 minutes. (The squash should be tender by now.) Stir in the coconut milk. Warm through. Add the lime juice. Taste for seasoning & add salt as needed. Drizzle each serving with a little olive oil if you wish.

4 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski