You’ve probably heard the saying (or seen the tee) “Never trust a skinny chef.” There’s truth to that. My version is “never trust a skinny beer rep.”
Not only do I enjoy beer, I love to pair everything I eat with it. And I almost always cook with it. If a recipe calls for red wine, I ask myself, “By red wine, did they mean Sly Fox Dunkel Lager?”
When I moved to the Italian Market, a mere block away from Dibruno Bros, I knew I would have to join a gym. I also knew I would have to start adding a few recipes to my repertoire. I would have to start making my own “gravy,” meatballs, pasta, roast pork, and gelato. I would however refrain from the matching velour sweat suit and wearing my weight in gold.
Dunkel “Turkey ‘s not just for Thanksgiving” Meatballs
(Enough for 20 Balls or 5 people)
You’ll Need:
½ cup onion diced to bits
½ cup red pepper diced to bits
½ cup green pepper diced to bits
¾ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 lb lean ground turkey meat
¼ can of Sly Fox Dunkel Lager (You can drink the other 3/4). You can press your luck with this. The more beer the moister the meatball
*Optional – For more of a velveteen meatball add a tablespoon of milk or cream.
*Buyer Beware – Turkey is pricier by a dollar but delicious and you’re only buying one meat, whereas if you
make traditional meatballs with veal, beef, and pork, you have to buy three.
Process:
I whisk egg, cream, and breadcrumbs together first then add them to ground turkey, peppers, and onions. I pour Dunkel in last. Be careful not to over mix. I shape the balls and pan-sear them. Depending on what I’m preparing them for I have a crock pot handy in case I have to keep them warm and I’m not serving them immediately.
Dunkel Lager Tomato Sauce
You’ll Need:
2 large cloves of garlic
1 cup of onions
¾ cup of mushrooms (or as many as your fungi-loving heart desires)
A few sips of Sly Fox Dunkel Lager
TBSP of sugar
Crushed Red Pepper to taste
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
¼ cup of Dunkel (once again, you get the other ¾)
½ cup of pancetta diced
3 bay leaves
Process:
Sautee onions and garlic in butter, till the garlic starts to brown and the onions are translucent. Add mushrooms. Add Dunkel so the onions take on a beer flavor. Turn up the heat. Turn down the heat. Add can of crushed tomatoes. I prefer fire-roasted but today I used a can with basil added. Add crushed red pepper and cracked black pepper. Add TBSP of sugar. Continue to stir with wooden spoon. Add ¼ cup of Dunkel. The pancetta is optional — I add if for a smoky flavor. I let the sauce simmer with bay leaves added for 30 minutes.
Homemade Pappardelle
You’ll Need:
3 c flour (“tipo oo” I get at Dibruno Bros.)
3 eggs (should be room temp)
½ teaspoon of salt
Some basil leaves if you want to be decorative
You must have a Pasta Maker. Either the Kitchen Aid attachment, or the old school cranker.
I paid too much money for my pasta roller in the Italian Mkt-but you can get one at Marshalls for $19.99.
Process:
I make a mound of flour with a dip in the center that I crack eggs into. I knead dough together for about 7 minutes. Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver says it releases the enzymes.
I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Cut the pasta as you like. Most machines have spaghetti or fettuccini options. I roll out ultra-thin pieces and hand cut it into pappardelle (very broad fetuccini).
Hang on a pasta rack till dry. Another 45 minutes. When the pasta is dry, drop into boiling water for a mere 2 minutes. It cooks with a quickness.
Once you make homemade pasta — you’re hooked. But a caveat for the cook- it is a time-consuming labor of love.
Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout Ice Cream
You’ll Need:
5 Egg Yolks (The more yolks- the more custard like)
½ cup Stout (too much beer makes it taste boozy and will subtract from the silky creaminess
2 cups light cream (or you can cheat with half and half- its cheaper)
¾ cup Sugar
½ cup Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans (optional-but why wouldn’t you?)
Process:
Whisk yolks and sugar together. Heat stout in skillet and reduce it till it thickens. Add cream.
Leave on stove top for 10 minutes. Now temper the egg/sugar mixture. If you’ve made ice cream before you know you have to be very wary of scrambling the eggs. Add the hot stout cream to the eggs slowly. Whisk a little, add some, whisk a little, add some more till the mixture is dissolved. Put back on stove for a few minutes. Cover and cool in fridge. This will take a few hours or overnight.
Chop choc. covered espresso beans. I do this in my electric coffee bean grinder.
Place mixture in your ice cream maker. I use a 2 qt. Cuisine Art. You can get one for about $90 or less.
When the mixture is half frozen add chopped Chocolate covered espresso beans them in my coffee grinder. Should take 25 min in the maker.
Eat and enjoy or freeze immediately.
