Entrees

Best Ever Fish and Chips

Sherri from Kitchener – Waterloo, Ontario

Fish:
8 fillets halibut each about 3.5 ounces
1-1/2 cup corn starch
1-1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 500 ml bottle – Mill Race Mild or Plowman’s Ale
3/4 cup bottled water
Oil for deep frying

  • To make the batter, combine cornstarch, flour and salt in a large bowl.
  • Wisk in the beer and water until smooth.
  • Add oil to a large heavy bottomed pot (fill so oil comes 1/2 way up in the pot).
  • Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
  • Dip fish in batter.
  • Carefully add battered fish to the oil and deep fry fish until crisp and golden – about 3 minutes.
  • Serve with chips and tartar sauce on the side.

Chips:
Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch chips

  • Add oil to a large heavy bottomed pot (fill so oil comes 1/2 way up in the pot).
  • Heat oil to 335 degrees F.
  • Working in small batches, blanch the chips until soft and cooked through but not browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Make sure oil returns to 320 degrees between batches.
  • Drain on paper towels and let cool to room temperature.
  • Heat oil to 375 degrees F and fry the chips again in small batches until crisp and golden about 4 minutes.
  • Serve with fish and dip chips in a hot curry sauce or garlic mayo.

Butternut Squash & Ale Soup, with Cornmeal Muffins (Serves eight)

Karen from Kitchener – Waterloo, Ontario

Soup:
3 tbsp butter
1 cup Spanish Onion, finely diced
3 cups peeled, seeded, chopped butternut squash
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
4 cups aged cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups Mill Race Ale
Pepper / Tobasco to taste

  • Heat butter over medium heat in large pot.
  • Add onion and cook until transparent.
  • Add butternut squash and cook 10 minutes.
  • Add chicken stock, bringing to a boil.
  • Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until squash is tender.
  • Puree soup in blender until smooth.
  • Add milk and return to a gentle boil, stirring often.
  • Reduce heat to low, whisk in cheese until melted.
  • Add ale. Season to taste.

Muffins:
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Mill Race Mild Ale

  • Sift together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl.
  • Combine eggs, butter, milk and ale.
  • Add to dry ingredients, stirring just enough to moisten.
  • Spoon batter into greased muffin pan cups, filling two-thirds full.
  • Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
  • Yields 12 muffins.

Beer Beef Stew

Dale from Waterloo, Ontario

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lbs stewing beef – 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 lbs onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
500 ml Galt Knife Old Style Lager
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp steak sauce
1/2 tsp crumbled bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
2 lbs potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots cut in pieces
Parsley

  • Coat cubed meat in flour mixed with salt and pepper; set aside.
  • In large pot, heat ¼ cup of olive oil, saute onions and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove onion and garlic from pot.
  • Add remaining oil, heat and add the floured meat browning on all sides.
  • Now add the onion – garlic mixture along with the beer, 3 sauces and herbs. Mix well.
  • Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
  • Then add the potatoes with enough water to cook in and then 15 minutes later add the carrots.
  • Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Add the parsley just before serving.
  • Serve with a salad and hard rolls.

Note from Bob: Dale brought this stew for an event at the brewery and it was great.

Al’s Crockpot Chilli (Serves 4-8)

Al from Halton, Ontario

1 can (15 ounces each) red kidney beans (drained is better)
500 ml Plowman’s Ale
1 or 2 fresh (or frozen) tomatoes, chopped up
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 lbs. or more lean ground beef
2 big onions, semi-coarsely chopped
2 or 3 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, cut in half
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 med. size can baked pork and beans with molasses
1 can refried beans for extra potency (optional)
2 to 4 tablespoons chili powder, and as much cayenne as you dare (see insert).
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin – or use cinnamon and/or allspice (see variations below)

  • Best made a day before and reheated for extra extra flavour and potency.
  • Brown beef in skillet, stirring to crumble.
  • Transfer beef to crockpot and cover with beer – use some of the beer to rinse out skillet. This is also good time for the cook to have a couple of pints.
  • Combine remaining ingredients in crockpot.
  • Cover and cook on high or low for as long as you want, preferably more than 8 hours; add liquid if necessary (beer, or even water if you drank all the beer already).
  • Serves up to 8 for lunch or 4 hungry guys for dinner.

Variations
Could be made in a large Dutch oven and baked instead of in a crockpot. Could also add nutmeg with the cinnamon version, or for a really fancy version, instead of cumin and black pepper, add:

3 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
8 cardamom pods
6 whole cloves

  • Combine all ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.
    Yield: 1/2 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Could be served over spaghetti and topped with old cheddar cheese. Top with chopped parsley. This dinner is suitably accompanied by beer, or (under duress) by a dry dark red wine like a cabernet sauvignon.