Hibernator Gorgonzola Cheese Soup
This month's selection was contributed by Great Divide's Co-Founder, Tara Dunn.
· 1 small red onion · 3 medium cloves garlic · 1 chipotle pepper · 2 Tbsp. olive oil · 1 pound gorgonzola cheese · 16 oz. Hibernation Ale · 1 quart heavy cream · 1 gallon whole milk · Salt and pepper to taste
Puree onion, garlic and chipotle in food processor. Heat oil over medium heat in stock pot. Add onion mixture. With hands, crumble in gorgonzola. Heat just until cheese is halfway melted. Stir in beer. Bring to boiling point. Gradually add cream and milk. Heat just to boiling point. Do not boil or soup will scorch. Whisk occasionally. (Beer and cheese should incorporate on their own so do not overwhisk or soup will foam up). Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 10-12 humans, 47 mice or 1 Green Bay Packer Fan.
Firestone Lamb & Black Bean Chili
This month's recipe, a serious stew-like chili, was contributed by owner Adam Firestone's wife, Kate Firestone. You should consider serving it over a bed of white rice with the avocado salsa described, sour cream, cilantro, a crunchy green salad, French bread or soft rolled tortillas and a lemon tart for dessert! Do this and accompany it with a pint of Firestone Double Barrel Ale my friend, and you will be a happier person ... and most likely quite full too.
· 4 cups chicken broth · 5 oz. dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded · 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce · 1/4 cup plus 2 TBS olive oil · 1 5 lb. leg of lamb, boned & trimmed · 2 lg. onions, diced · 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped · 12 ounces of Firestone Double Barrel Ale · 1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained · 1/4 cup ground pasilla chili powder · 3 TBS ground cumin · 5 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained · 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Bring stock to a boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add ancho chiles. Cover and let stand until soft, about 30 min. Transfer ancho chiles and 2 cups stock to processor or blender, add chipotle chiles and puree the lot of 'em! Stir into remaining stock and set aside. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large Dutch Oven or covered pot over high heat and add lamb meat and reserved bones in batches. Cook until meat is brown about 3 min. per batch. Transfer to bowl using slotted spoon. Add remaining 2 TBS oil to Dutch oven and sauté onions and garlic for 3 min. Return meat, bones and juices accumulated in bowl to Dutch oven. Add your brew and simmer for 10 min. Have a brew. Add stock mixture, tomatoes, chili powder and cumin and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hr., 10 min. Mix beans and lime juice into chili. Season with salt and pepper. Mix all of your avocado ingredients in a bowl just prior to serving. Serves 8. Note: Lamb bones add flavor to the stock. Ask the butcher to bone a Leg of Lamb and cut the bones into 2 inch pieces and the meat into 3/4 inch cubes, leaving off as much fat as possible (unless you're into that fat thing ... which is okay).
Avocado Salsa:
· 3 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, diced · 7 TBS fresh lime juice · 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion · 6 TBS chopped fresh cilantro · 3 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced · Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of your avocado ingredients in a bowl just prior to serving. Serves 8.
Rogue Ale Brewed Chili
· 2 lbs kidney beans · 2 1/2 lbs hamburger · 1 onion · 1 green pepper · 1 TBS salt · 1/3 cup sugar · 6 cloves garlic · 3 TBS chili powder · 1 1/2 TBS dry mustard · 24 oz. American Amber · 12 oz. tomato paste
Soak beans in water 12 hours and then simmer over medium heat until tender. Lightly brown beef and caramelize onion in same pan. Discard fat (or donate it to your local McDonald French fry cooker). Combine sugar, garlic, chili powder and mustard with 12 ounces of brew and simmer for 15 min. Add tomato paste to beans and combine with all of that other stuff we just had you do. Simmer for 2 hours adding remaining 12 ounces of beer during the last 10 minutes. Roll up your sleeves, fill a big bowl with the stuff and maybe schlapp a sizable dollop-o-sour cream smack dab in the middle of it all.
Lost Planet Scandinavian Beef Stew
· 4 lb. chuck roast, cut into 2" cubes · 2 TBS vegetable oil · 1 1/2 tsp corn starch · 1 TBS water · 1/4 cup cream
Marinade:
· 1 cup Lost Planet Porter · 1/2 cup cider vinegar · 2 tsp. pepper · 1 tsp ground allspice · 2 bay leaves · 1 tsp ground thyme · 2 medium onions, sliced · 2 medium carrots, sliced
Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl. Add meat and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 3 days. When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and pat dry on paper towels. Reserve marinade. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown meat on all sides. Add 1 cup of marinade. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook about 2 hours, until meat is very tender. Add reserved marinade, if necessary, to keep meat moist. Mix corn starch and water together to make a smooth paste. Remove meat to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Stir corn starch mixture into pan gravy. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. Add cream and blend well. Pour over meat. The traditional garnish for this stew is sour gherkins. Serve with boiled potatoes and consider an Ale, Bock, Porter, or a Stout for your beverage of choice.
Source: Great Cooking with Beer; Jack Erickson; Red Brick Press, Reston, VA, 1989.
