BEER. It's what's for dinner.

Today I finally had a chance to make the De Halve Maan Beer Soup and it turned out even better than I expected.  It's a savory soup, chock-full of vegetables and the Bruges Zot blond beer really shines. I'm being modest, I know, but even Tom said it was a ten. Did I mention our house smelled amazing? The recipe is down below and my notes are in brackets. I will definitely make this again.

Here's how I got the recipe, still can't believe it! Thanks again De Halve Maan Brewery!

Recipe for De Halve Mann Beer Soup

Ingredients:

2 leeks, 5 carrots, 1 stick of celery, 2 onions, parsley (finely chopped) [I used 1/3 cup]

Butter [2 T], pepper, salt [to taste]

1 liter Vegetable stock [about 4 1/2 cups]

1 slice of boiled ham, chopped

1 slice of mature cheese, chopped [I used Gouda, recommended by my French sister-in-law]

1 bottle of Brugse Zot blond [Binny's in Chicago sells it]

A dash of cream

Prepare:

Brown the chopped vegetables in butter, add the vegetable stock and leave to simmer. Add pepper and salt and the beer. [I added the pepper, salt and beer with everything else.  Brought to a boil and then let simmer for a half hour.]

Serve the soup, add per bowl a spoon full of cheese and ham, serve with a dash of cream and parsley.

Enjoy [Enjoy we did!]

Brugse Zot blond

Pricey - $18.99 for a 4-pack at Binny's.

 

Lots of veggies!

Adding the special ingredient.

The finished product.

Sometimes all you have to do is ask...

My sister-in-law was in Europe a few weeks ago and during her trip she went to De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium to sample their delicious beer and amazing beer soup.  I've been to Bruges a few times and I didn't try the beer soup until this year.  Boy did I miss out, because it is one of the best soups I've ever had.  Hearing about it again made me want some, so I decided to search for a similar recipe. No luck.  Everything I found was more of a stew.  So on a whim, I decided to email the brewery and guess what...they sent me the recipe!  No joke!  I'm busy with holiday baking, so I haven't had a chance to make it, but when I do I'll let you know how it turns out. 

At De Halve Maan Brewery waiting patiently for our soup

Pesto Vernazza Style

During our trip to Italy in 2010, I had the most amazing pesto in Vernazza. The Cinque Terre region is the birthplace of pesto and they have perfected it! I had it for dinner both nights and the second night was even better than the first! While I can’t remember the restaurant names, I’ll never forget the locations. In the photo below, the restaurant we ate at the second night is located just above my head and to the right…did you get that? I know I have their business card somewhere, so I’ll have to look. I guess I gushed a bit, because the owner even offered to give me a cooking lesson. Unfortunatly we were leaving the next morning, so I couldn’t take him up on the offer.

So why was it so amazing? The fresh pesto was served over trofie, a pasta made from flour with a bit of potato. It was designed specifically for pesto and I can’t find it anywhere in the states. Tossed with the pasta were chopped green beans and chopped potatoes. It was simply delicious! I bought a jar of pesto to take home and didn’t even think that it would be considered a liquid. Sadly it was confiscated at security.

Close up of trofie pasta.

Since it was October, I had to wait until the following summer to plant basil and make my own pesto. Here is a link to a simple recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/. As I mentioned, I can’t find trofie pasta anywhere in the states, so we use small gnocci instead. I'll also substitute walnuts, because pine nuts are crazy expensive. I like to make large batches of pesto and freeze in ice cube trays. That way we can enjoy it long into winter. A quick meal is pulling out 4-5 cubes of pesto, cook the gnocchi and toss over pesto cubes. Then steam a few chopped green beans and microwave a few small red potatoes (chop after). Toss it all together and in less than 10 minutes you have a pesto Vernazza style. Yum!

Side Note: I have never tasted focaccia like the kind I had in Vernazza. It was simply amazing. I was addicted. Especially the version that had olives on it. I tried to recreate it at home, but it didn’t turn out the same. Guess we’ll just have to go back!

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho

Summer is here, at least that's what the thermometer says.  It's a whopping 94 degrees in Chicago!  The perfect temperature for a cool bowl of gazpacho.  I just whipped up my first batch of the season.  One of many I've made after my first trip to Spain in 2007.  I'm addicted and fully admit it!  After trying many different recipes, this is the most authentic recipe I've found and my favorite!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Classic-Andalusian-Gazpacho-106874

Gazpacho "El Faro"
The classic Andalusian gazpacho is found all over the region with surprisingly few variations, except for the addition of cucumber and onion — ingredients that have fallen out of favor with chefs who prefer to allow the pure taste of the tomatoes, Sherry vinegar, and olive oil to shine through. In this version, cumin lends an intriguing, subtle flavor.

yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 30 minutes
total time: 3 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 (2-inch-long) piece baguette, crust discarded
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (preferably "reserva"), or to taste (NOTE: I bought some at Williams-Sonoma.)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered (NOTE: this equals about 8 medium tomatoes and I don't core them.)
• 1/2 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Andalusian hojiblanca)
• Garnish: finely chopped red and green bell peppers

Preparation:

Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.

Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife). Blend garlic paste, bread, 2 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, cumin, and half of tomatoes in a food processor until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Add remaining tomatoes with motor running and, when very finely chopped, gradually add oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.

Force soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids. (NOTE: I don't usually do this part.)

Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.

Gazpacho can be chilled up to 2 days.

Loving Spain!