Mushroom Stout Pie with Potato Biscuits

We've had a few dreary, rainy days this week in Boise so I jumped at what is probably my last chance to make a warm and hearty stew before summer really sets in. I have truly embraced the potato while living out here, so potato biscuits were right up my alley. The filling was hearty and filling but very healthy. The recipe is written for either kidney beans or tofu, so I decided on kidney beans as I always have them in the pantry but rarely find much use for them outside of Minestrone and Veggie Burgers.

Mushroom Stout Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuits

adapted from  Post Punk Kitchen 

3 c. vegetable stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. dried rosemary

2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

10 oz. stout beer 

2 tbsp. tomato paste

Fresh black pepper

Salt

1/2 c. AP flour

3 c cooked kidney beans

for the biscuits

1 1/2 c. AP flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. mashed sweet potato (baked off the previous night, fork mashed)

3 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 c. nonfat buttermilk

Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute' onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add a pinch of salt and garlic, cook for one minute and stir to ensure garlic doesn't burn.

Add mushrooms, celery, thyme, rosemary and saute' for an additional 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms begin to brown and release liquid.

Add carrots, stout, tomato paste, pepper and salt, bring to a simmer and reduce liquid by half, add vegetable stock and cover. Simmer for five minutes.

Mix flour into one cup of cold water with a fork, be sure there are no lumps. Slowly add to pot, whisking with a fork. Add the kidney beans and stir well, turn heat off and keep covered. 

Preheat oven to 425*

Make biscuits - sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. 

In another bowl, use a fork to mix potatoes, olive oil and buttermilk. 

Make a well in the flour bowl and add potato mixture, mix gently with a fork until dough forms, knead a few times but be careful to not overmix. 

Drop heaping spoonfulls of dough onto stew around the pot.

Bake for 25 minutes, until biscuits are puffy and stew is bubbly.

White Cheddar Beer Mac and Cheese

(from my Instagram: ashmelzorn)

Back in October when my family took a trip to Oregon we visited Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. We began our meal with their Beer Cheese and pretzel dip which was insanely memorable. The cheese was a melted white cheddar laced with beer and there was coarse stone ground mustard rimming the bowl. When you swiped the pretzel through the mustard and into the cheese it was phenomenal. When it came time to make our Thanksgiving menu, I mentioned turning the beer cheese dip into a mac and cheese. I've had mac and cheese with mustard powder as an ingredient in the past, so I knew if I kept it subtle we'd have a winning dish.  

(Thanksgiving plate, mac and cheese is at twelve o'clock)

I used somewhat local Tillamook White Cheddar, which is delicious. We chose the Fat Tire Amber Ale because I'm not a fan of IPAs, which the dip used (we bought a 6-pack so I didn't want to get shorted out of the leftover beer!) This mac and cheese got better with each plate of leftovers! The beer taste was a little stronger and we declared it the best mac and cheese I've ever made!

White Cheddar Beer Mac and Cheese

Veggie by Season original

12 oz. short cut pasta (we used shells)

Kosher salt

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 large or 1 small yellow onion, minced

Black pepper
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. beer of choice
1 c. 2% milk
2 tbsp. coarse ground mustard (I like inglehoffer from World Market)
12 oz. fresh grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat oven to 400*
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and add pasta, cook to al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
Heat a shallow skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and add onions
Saute' onions for 2-3 minutes, until translucent, season with salt and black pepper.
Add flour, whisk to cook for a minute then turn heat up to medium-high.
Add beer, whisk flour clumps into beer and reduce liquid by half.
Add milk and bring mixture to a simmer, turn heat off.
Add mustard and cheese, use a spatula and stir using a figure-eight motion.
Taste cheese sauce and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Drain pasta and pour into a baking dish, add cheese sauce and stir well to combine.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until desired brownness and crunch.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

I'm probably breaking some sort of rule by posting a fall-ish recipe in August, but isn't it what bloggers do? Or better yet, isn't it what Floridians do? By August, I am so sick of the 90*+ days that all I can do is dream of cool fall days back in the midwest with Football, crisp apples, and my favorite sweater...

I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes and black beans, but it can get awfully starchy. Butternut squash and pumpkin make nice substitutes while lowering the carb and calorie count of a dish. This chili combines a few of the best late summer veggies with the best fall has to offer, pumpkin and pumpkin beer!

As you northerners start to feel fall creeping in, enjoy this dish while I stubbornly sweat in eternal summer eating my chili!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

adapted from Crumb blog

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. cumin

8 oz. pumpkin beer, such as Harvest Moon

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1 15 oz. can solid packed pumpkin

1 28 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

2 c. vegetable stock

2 c.black beans (canned or dried and cooked)

1 c. frozen corn kernels

Heat a soup pot over medium-low, add EVOO and bring to temperature.

Chop and add onions, garlic and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper. 

When veggies have softened, add spices, pour in beer and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up bits with a wooden spoon. 

Turn heat to high, add maple syrup, pumpkin, tomatoes and stock.

Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low and add black beans and corn.

Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings.

Top with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, or any of your favorite chili toppings. 

Six Bean Chili with Corncake Toppers

For dinner tonight I had to put something in the crock pot since JJ and I would be eating dinner seperately. My best tool for that is a big one-pot meal (or crock pot) on the stove. As I was rummaging through the cubbord this weekend, I found a package of mixed dried beans my mom gave me to make a 6 bean soup. Rather than have a soup though, I decided to make it chili. I added some veggies and spices, and served it with the usual chili side - corncakes! This meal is very easy, spicy, and healthy!

Six Bean Chili

2 c. assorted dried beans, soaked overnight

2 slices pancetta, minced (optional)

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. dark beer

1 5 oz. can tomato paste

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 chipotles in adobo, minced

2 c. chicken stock

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. oregano

Sour Cream for Garnish

Corn Cake Toppers:

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. minced jalapeno
1/4 cup shredded cheddar

In a large soup pot over medium high, sautee pancetta until fat renders. Drain out most of the fat, add the onions, garlic, and peppers. Season with salt and pepper, cook 3-4 minutes. Add beer to deglaze the pot, turn to medium-low, and add all of the remaining ingredients.

Let the chili simmer on the stove for at least 3 hours, or until the beans reach desired doneness.

Serve with Sour Cream.

For the Corncakes:

Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat.

Gently mix all ingredients in a bowl, drop heaping tablespoons full into skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes per side.