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You probably think of pot roast as a winter dish, and you surely would not want to heat up your kitchen for hours on end by cooking it long and slow in the oven or even on top of the stove.  But if you find yourself with a hankering for it, you can always just pop it into the slow-cooker and let it rip all day!  Slow-cookers do not heat up your kitchen, and also use very little electricity, to boot.    Using a slow-cooker also means a lot less work, just set it and forget it, and then go about your business, lounge on your contemporary furniture, whatever.  This is really the best way to cook a cheap cut of beef, no matter what time of the year it is.

I found this recipe in the book “The Best of Mr. Food:  Slow Cookin’ Quickies”.  This is a must-have book if you have a slow-cooker.

My only gripe is that he doesn’t tell you to brown the hunk o’ meat before putting it into the slow-cooker.  That’s actually a gripe I have with a lot of slow-cooker books.  By all means, if you can’t be bothered with this part, skip it…but it really does add more flavor and a much more attractive color to the meat.  Just heat some oil in a skillet and brown the hunk o’ meat until nicely browned on all sides.  Once that is done, proceed with the recipe as directed.

For the beer, I used good old Guinness – I had a couple of cans of it sitting around that needed using up.  I’m not a big stout drinker, and Mike prefers to get his on draught at a bar.  Even with that plastic gizmo inside that can that makes it nice and fizzy just like the tap, he says it still isn’t quite as good.  Although the recipe calls for 12 ounces of beer, I just used the entire 14.5 ounce can of Guinness.  Exact amounts of stuff are not always important in cooking.  In baking, yes.

The original recipe calls for a sirloin tip roast.  I could not find one at the store, and we didn’t feel like driving to 4700 different stores to find one, so I just bought a bottom round roast and used that.  Any cheap, tough cut of beef will work here, save the pricier cuts for another recipe.

For they mustard, I like Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground – not too expensive and easy to find in most stores these days.  But of course, you can use what you like or have on hand.

For some reason, plain frozen pearl onions are a bit hard to find around here.  Most of the time they come with a cream sauce, and sometimes mixed with peas.  You almost NEVER see a store brand version of these.  But Birds Eye does make them, you just have to look closely.  It’s a pet peeve of mine, the ever-growing difficulty in finding any PLAIN frozen veggies anymore.  Half the stuff in the freezer section has some sort of sauce on it; sheesh, don’t people want to put their own stuff on it any more?

Anyhoo, onto the recipe!

1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
1 (4-pound) sirloin tip roast
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* Hot cooked medium egg noodles

Place onions in a 4-quart slow cooker; place roast on top. Add beer and next 4 ingredients.

Cook, covered, at HIGH 8 hours or until roast is tender. Remove roast and onions, reserving drippings in cooker.

Whisk flour into reserved drippings; cook 10 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast, onions, and hot noodles. I also like to serve some sort of other veggie with this.  Mr. Food suggests roasted root veggies.

Enjoy!

For some reason, I bought a large spaghetti squash a few weeks ago.  It sat there on my kitchen table until today, when I decided I needed to cook it.

I also had a bunch of leftover items that needed using up – mainly, one red bell pepper, one zucchini, and one yellow summer squash.  I also had some fresh rosemary and oregano that needed using up, as well as some onions and garlic.  And then there was the cheese – a 15 ounce container of ricotta with only a couple of spoonfuls taken out of it, about 1/2 of an 8 ounce bag of shredded Cheddar, and a couple of pieces of Parmesan and Romano cheeses.  Pantry items included canned tomato products and dried herbs and spices.

Spaghetti squash is a form of winter squash that, when cooked, breaks into strands similar to that of spaghetti.  And then you can use it instead of pasta in most dishes – great for those on low-carb diets.

First, I cooked the squash by cutting it in half lengthwise, scraping out all of the seeds and nasty stringy membranes, placing the halves cut-side down on a sheet pan, and baking in a pre-heated 350°F oven for about an hour.  This is best done in advance, as you need to let the squash cool before handling it.

When it’s cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out the flesh; you will see how it comes out spaghetti-like.  Scrape it all the way down to the shell, discard the empty shell when you’re done.  Spaghetti squash can get kind of water-logged, so putting it into a colander to drain for a bit after you’ve scraped it from the shell is not a bad idea.

I made a quick marinara sauce – I sauteed a small chopped onion and a few minced garlic cloves in some olive oil, then threw in a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, juice and all.  I just kind of chopped the tomatoes in the pan with a wooden spoon.  Also added was an 8 ounce can of plain tomato sauce and a 6 ounce can of tomato paste.  I added some of the fresh oregano that I needed to use up, some dried basil, and salt & pepper.  The original recipe called for adding white wine, but I didn’t have any, so I threw in 1/2 cup of Sam Adams Summer Ale instead.

This was simmered for about 30 minutes.  It came to about 4 cups.

I dumped the ricotta into a bowl, mixed one egg into it, as well as some more of the fresh oregano and dried basil.  I threw in a handful of the shredded Cheddar, and used my cheese shredder whosit to grind in some of the Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

I then sliced the zucchini and summer squash on the diagonal, diced up the red pepper, sliced up a small onion, and sauteed them in some olive oil.  While they were sauteing, I put a few cloves of garlic through the press, right into the saute pan.

Then it was time to assemble the casserole.  I used my 12″ round casserole, but a standard 9″ x 11″ lasagna-type pan would also have worked.  I started by putting a thin coating of the marinara sauce, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Then, in went half the prepared spaghetti squash.  After that, half the ricotta mixture, in dollops evenly spaced.  Then, half the sauteed veggies were spread over, then a sprinkling of some Cheddar, Parmesan and Romano cheeses.  Then the layers were repeated – half of the remaining marinara sauce, the remaining spaghetti squash, the remaining ricotta mixture, the remaining sauteed veggies, and another sprinkling of cheeses.  Finally, it was topped with the remaining sauce and whatever was left of the Cheddar, Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

This was baked, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350°F oven for about a half an hour.  Since everything in it is already cooked, you just want to heat it through and melt the cheese on top.  It’s ready when it is nice and bubbly.

I had also made a loaf of French bread, which I started in the bread machine and then shaped and baked in the oven.  Rather than serving it with butter, I went the traditional Italian route with infused olive oil for dipping.  I chopped up some of the fresh rosemary and oregano, and put it on a small dish with some dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and a little salt & pepper.  Then I poured some extra virgin olive oil over it, just as they do at Carrabba’s.  At Carrabba’s, they also provide you with a small decanter of olive oil with the bread, so you can pour more over the plate of herbs if necessary.

It was all very yummie, and I got to use up stuph that might have gone bad, and best of all, I didn’t have to go to the store for a single thing!

So – next time you are wondering what to make for dinner, look at what you have on hand, and improvise!

Earlier this week, I decided to make some bread from scratch, not using the bread machine. A breadmaker such as one made by Samsung is great, but I think it’s also great to try to make bread completely from scratch, with no machines at all but an oven…not even a stand mixer!

I got the recipe from the Samuel Adams website; they have a great collection of recipes, as well as tips for cooking with beer, and pairing beer and food.  I highly recommend exploring this site, you will find some great ideas, and then there is the beer!  Sam Adams is currently the largest American-owned brewery (sorry, but Budweiser/aka Anheuser-Busch is now owned by a Belgian company).  Yet Sam Adams still makes some great beers, their founder, Jim Koch, is still very hands-on with the company.  No cheap swill beer there!

The recipe makes a LOT – four loaves.  I recommend making the full amount of dough, because in baking, adjusting recipes may or may not cause it to go wonky.  In my case, I baked up just two loaves, because I only have two loaf pans to bake them in.  After you get to the step of rolling each piece into a ball, take whatever you are not going to bake right now, wrap well, and freeze.  Cold does not kill yeast, it only puts it to sleep.  When ready to bake, take the dough out of the freezer, let thaw, and then proceed with shaping into a loaf and doing a final rise.

Anyhoo, here is the recipe.  Enjoy!

Beery Bread

Makes 4 loaves.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons active dried yeast
½ cup warm tap water
3 cups whole-wheat flour
9 cups unbleached white flour
4 eggs, with 1 egg white reserved
3 3/4 cups Samuel Adams Boston Lager® or Samuel Adams® Boston Ale
½ cup honey
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
5 teaspoons salt
½ cup or more sesame seeds

Instructions

To make the sponge: Combine together the yeast and warm water. Set aside to proof.

Put all the whole-wheat flour and 3 cups of white flour into a large bowl. Mix in the proofed yeast, the eggs, (reserving the white), the beer, honey, and butter. Beat with a wooden spoon 100 strokes to introduce plenty of air into the sponge. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Sift together the remaining 6 cups of white flour and the salt. Slowly work this flour into the sponge. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. If the dough seems too wet and sticky, add a little more flour. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until double in size. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Shape it in 4 equal balls. Let rest 5 minutes. Knead each ball 5 or 6 times. Roll each ball into a loaf, and place in a greased 9 x 5 inch bread pan. Let the loaves rise 15-20 minutes in warm place. Cut the top of each loaf lengthwise, and brush with the reserved egg white mixed with a little water. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the loaves are light brown.

I didn’t have any sesame seeds, so I just mixed some caraway seeds into the dough when I was mixing the flour into the sponge. Rye flour instead of whole wheat works very nicely, as well.

This is a very yummie bread and definitely worth the time and effort.  Cheers!

This is a version of Beer Can Chicken that I made in my new Technique Flame 12″ Covered Casserole w/Removable Roasting Insert.  This casserole can be used on the stovetop, in the oven, and yes, even on the BBQ.  Or so the instructions say; I haven’t tried it on a BBQ yet.

The casserole is pictured below, and is available from QVC for under $40.00.  This is of exscellent quality and is extremely versatile.  In addition to red, it also comes in blue or black.  Direct link to product.

This recipe for Summer Ale Chicken came with the roaster, and I tried it last night.  I cooked it in the oven; it’s a good way to get a dish that is traditionally BBQ’d cooked indoors, with no fear that you’ll set off the emergency exit alarm.  I like this setup for beer can chicken better than using an actual beer or soda can, because it’s more stable, the chicken won’t tip over when you are moving the pan to and from the oven or BBQ grill.

If you do not have this pan and want to try making this at home, you can certainly go ahead and use a beer or soda can.  If you are using canned beer, drink about half of it, never use a full can of liquid for this or else you’ll have a big mess.  Also, use a church-key style can opener to punch a couple more holes in the top of the can.  Then you set the can with the chicken on it in an oven-safe pan, large enough so that you can scatter the vegetables around it.  If you are doing this on a BBQ, the best bet is a large cast iron skillet; cast iron can definitely stand up to the high heat of a grill.

You can also purchase one of many kinds of beer can chicken racks; some of these will hold the can steady.  For some, you don’t need a can at all, you can just pour your beer right into it, much like my casserole/roaster getup.

First, preheat the oven to 350° F.  If using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking.  For a gas grill, turn off one of the burners.  For a charcoal grill, push all of the coals off to one side.  Please note that the grill has to have a lid that is big enough to cover the chicken as it cooks.  Then, you need to make the spice rub:

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Just mix it all together.  Then, take a whole chicken (4-5 pounds), rinse it well inside and out, pat dry with paper towels, rub it all over with 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, and then rub all over with the spice rub, including inside the cavity.  Reserve a little of the rub to add to the beer.

Set up the beer can apparatus.  If you are using the pan I have or something similar, pour your beer into it, don’t fill it up too high.  This recipe calls for a summer ale; I used Samuel Adams Summer Ale.  If using a canned beer, drink about half of it, use the church-key can opener to poke a couple more holes in the top of the can.  If you are using a bottled beer like Sam Adams, and don’t have the roaster insert as I do, you can just wash out an empty soda can and use a funnel to pour the beer into that.  Put any leftover spice rub into the beer, and then carefully place the chicken onto the can or roaster insert, basically you are sticking it up the chicken’s butt – I’ve often seen this method of cooking referred to as “beer-butt chicken”.  If using a can, stand the chicken up in the center the pan you’re using, using the legs to make sort of a tripod.  If using a rack, it will stay put on its own.

Now, slice up a couple of onions and scatter them around the bird.  Season the onions with salt, pepper, thyme, and add one bay leaf.  Place the whole thing in the oven.  If using a BBQ, place it over the part of the grill that is turned off/coal-less, for indirect cooking.  Also, if using a grill, pour some beer over the onions so they don’t burn.

A four-pound chicken will take about 75 minutes to roast in the oven, or about an hour on a BBQ grill.  My chicken was about five pounds and took about 90 minutes in the oven.  It’s done when the inner thigh measures 165° F with an instant-read thermometer, it will cook a little further as it rests.

While the chicken cooks, slice up one zucchini, one yellow summer squash, and one red bell pepper.  Season with salt & pepper.  About 1/2 hour before the chicken is done, add these veggies to the onions in the pan and stir to combine.

Once the chicken is done, remove from the oven or the grill and let rest for about five minutes.  Then, VERY CAREFULLY remove it to a cutting board  The beer will be NASA-hot; if using a can, the easiest and safest way is to grasp the chicken with wads of paper towels, hold with both hands, and then have someone else use tongs to carefully pull the can out of the chicken’s butt.  If you have the pan that I do, the top part of the insert (the part with the holes in it) will likely still be stuck up the chicken’s butt.  But since it has holes and it s tube, there won’t be any liquid in it, so you can pull it out with tongs when you place the chicken on the cutting board.  Still, a lot of liquid may come out of the cavity, so use a large cutting board to avoid a mess.

Carve up and serve with the roasted summer veggies.  Drink the rest of the six-pack of whatever beer you used to cook this with.  Enjoy!

I wonder if  perhaps that’s the whole idea behind this silly gimmick.  You have probably seen the ads on TV – this box of beer has a special window that lets you know when the beer inside is cold.  It’s opaque when it’s warm, but becomes see-through when it’s cold enough.  Also, the mountains on the bottles or cans in the box turn blue, so you can be extra sure that it is cold enough for human consumption!

They’ve had the cold indicator on the labels for a while now, so it’s nothing new.  The box thing, though is fairly new.

Coors has also been bragging about how their beer is brewed cold (duh, it’s a Lager, aren’t all Lagers cold-brewed?)  and is kept cold.  I suppose they keep it in one of those steel buildings in the middle of the Rockies, until it’s ready to ship, that way they could save on refrigeration costs.  Why not, they skimp on everything else, most notably beer quality.  The only thing they DON’T seem to skimp on is spending money on stupid advertising gimmicks.

Also, contrary to popular belief, many beers are at their best when they are NOT ice cold, for many, a temperature of 40° F is about right…not completely warm, but cold enough so that you can still taste it.   But since Coors Light is watered-down swill made with cheap ingredients, it might as well be ice cold, because there’s nothing to taste.

Too bad they don’t spend all of this advertising money on actually making a good product.  But that’s okay, I don’t have to buy the crap!