"The Brewpub Cookbook - Favorite Recipes from Great Brewpub Kitchens" - Wheat Beer Potato Soup

Date I made this recipe:  April 5, 2014

The Brewpub Cookbook – Favorite Recipes from Great Brewpub Kitchens by Daria Labinsky & Stan Hieronymus

Published by:  Time Life Books

ISBN:  0-7835-4906-7

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Wheat Beer Potato Soup from Hops! Bistro & Brewery, Scottsdale, AZ – p. 58

Some cookbooks I buy have limited shelf lives; this is one of them.  I was putting some new acquisitions aside the other day, thought about it for a second and pulled this one out of the pack.  The hilarious thing is that I don't like beer but my husband does and since we were both in the mood for something lighter (although ha! – heavy cream and beer is not a "lighter") as opposed to this "Beef, it's what's for dinner" campaign we've been on as of late.   Good call.

And speaking of "calls," quite by accident, I made this soup on Saturday night, the night where the NCAA's Final Four fought it ought to advance to the finals.  The entire tournament has been rife with interesting "calls" by the game's referees.  Many a game came down to that one, last (disputed) call by an official and in a blink of an eye, one team went home crushed while the other advanced to the next level.

So on Saturday night, the second Final Four game pitted the University of Wisconsin against the Kentucky Wildcats.  Although Kentucky trailed by eight in the first half, they came roaring back several times over to finally win it by 1 point.  I was not a happy camper:  since both my Michigan teams lost their rounds, I was pulling for Wisconsin but as usual, I backed the team going home. 

Sad to say, this soup might have had something to do with it.  The recipe called for two things that are practically Wisconsin "national" ingredients:  shredded cheddar cheese (as a topping) and hefeweiss (Hefeweizen) beer.  Hefeweiss beer is a German beer and you'd be hard pressed to find someone in Wisconsin who doesn't have a drop or two...or a million...of German blood in them.  In fact, just like Minnesota is home to Swedes and Norwegians "fleeing" the home country, Wisconsin is home to displaced Germans.  Back in the day when my coworkers and I traveled to Milwaukee on business, we saved up all of our per diem money to have dinner at either Mader's or Karl Ratzch's, Milwaukee's high-end German restaurants and it was a treat.  Of course, on our off days, we'd have beer and brats, sometimes while attending Milwaukee Brewers games, courtesy of some of our clients.  And then there's the beer and brats (and cheese) at Packers games.  Ah....

Anyway, in my St. Patrick's Day blog, I mentioned a few things that I know about beer:  there is the awful (PBR, Schlitz, Blatz, etc.) and the sublime (dark beers like Guinness).  This concludes all I know about beer.  And so my trip to the liquor store was somewhat hilarious in that first I had to figure out what a hefeweiss was and then I had to find one that suited this recipe.  And so to Total Wine in Roseville we went! (Don't be fooled by the name as they carry more than wine – a lot more!)

This store, newly opened, is gigantic.  Their beer selections (plural) take up a huge wall.  So I asked one of the employees to point me in the direction of the hefeweiss and then grilled him like a cheese sandwich to learn what it was and what it would taste like in my recipe:  "Is it skanky, like Pabst or Budweiser?"  I was assured it was not.  "Well, is it sweet or is it a bit bitter?"  "Well, it's a wheat beer so...."  "Okay....so it's not sweet?"

And so on. Let's just say it took us a while to speak the same (beer) language.  (By the way, my husband was way down the aisle, checking out the dark beers.)  What I learned was that hefeweiss is a German beer, made from wheat (as opposed to "barley pop" that is Pabst, etc.) and that it should add a nice flavor to the soup.  Okay, works for me!

So I set off to make this soup and it's pretty easy:  boil the vegetables in chicken broth, blend well in a blender, add cream, add beer and there you go.  But oh, the things you learn while making it.  First, I didn't want my soup blended to the degree it was.  I like a chunkier potato soup so I should have skipped the blender all together.  Second, I was not expecting the beer to foam so much.  And this sounds stupid, I know, but all of a sudden, my already-full pot was in danger of overflowing and all that precious wheat beer would be gone.  Horrors!  And you should know it took quite a long time for that foam to dissipate.

Third, and this was odd, the minute I added the beer, it was if all the bubbles ate away at my potato mixture because it all turned to liquid in two seconds flat!  I really should consult a food scientist about this but a liquid soup was not what I was after.  At least it tasted great so we have that as a consolation, especially since Wisconsin lost.  ;(

As to this cookbook, it's a compact little book, 140 pages in all, showcasing recipes that contain beer and those that don't.  I know this is a silly comment, but I would have preferred if all the recipes from brewpubs contained beer.  Thankfully though, the recipe for homemade whipped cream was beer-free because otherwise – ew!  Since Andy and I wanted something on the lighter side, we bypassed all the ribs and roasts cooked in a beer bath and focused on soups.  Still, I'm kind of wishing I would have made the Stout Cheesecake!

Finally, a word of caution for those of you who may want to use this cookbook as a guide to visiting brewpubs:  this book was written in 1997 and at that time, only one restaurant was included for Minnesota – Mill Street Brewing Company, St. Paul, MN.  A quick Google search revealed that the formal name is Green Mill Mill Street Brewing Company – 57 S. Hamline Ave, St. Paul, MN.  That restaurant however, does not show up on a Google search for "Minnesota Brewpubs."  So there's that.  Happily, the list of brewpubs is growing (and growing) making for some fun dining and drinking (and brewing) experiences.  Huzzah!

Wheat Beer (Hefeweizen) Potato Soup – yield:  8-10 servings

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced large

½ pound onion, diced

½ pound carrots, diced

2 quarts chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups hefeweiss

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:  croutons, shredded cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes, onions, and carrots in chicken stock until soft.  Blend well in a blender.  Reheat mixture, and add cream.  Add beer and salt and pepper to taste.  It is not necessary to strain.  Author's Note:  Wheat beer will get bitter if exposed to a high amount of heat and cooked.  In other words, add the beer and serve it up!

"Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe - Stirring Up the Past with Family Recipes and Stories (Wisconsin family cookbook)" - Sloppy Joes

Date I made this recipe:  November 24, 2013 (Packers v. Vikings, Game #2)

Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe - Stirring Up the Past with Family Recipes and Stories by Susan Sanvidge, Diane Sanvidge Seckar, Jean Sanvidge Wouters, and Julie Sanvidge Florence from Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Published by:  Wisconsin Historical Society Press (www.wisconsinhistory.org)

ISBN:  978-0-87020-386-2

Recipe:  Sloppy Joes (Naturally!) - p. 157-158

And they're back!  For the second time this football season, my Green Back Packers played the Minnesota Vikings in Lambeau Field.  Although I am running short on Wisconsin-related cookbooks, I'm not down yet and so finally decided to make something from this fun cookbook to honor the occasion. 

I've had this book for quite some time but held back a bit from using it because I think I was waiting for something that said "Packers" or "football" to jump out at me.  I have such high expectations for my Wisconsin cookbooks, don't I?  But when that didn't happen, I settled for the very neutral and not-even-football-related Sloppy Joe recipe.

As it turned out, this was perhaps the best course of action.  The Packers looked pretty good out of the blocks but then just lacked energy through the first three quarters.  I got worried.  And when I get worried, I do what my family has always done when it gets tense watching the Packers - change the channel.  (Which didn't work so well in the early years of Packers football when we only had one channel...but whatever).  Yes folks, we change the channel to avoid throwing things at the TV (in this case, an iron--and yes, some of us still iron) with the hopes that if we don't breathe down their necks and over-coach (it happens), the team will improve.  My husband cracks up when I do this and in fact, commented this time around that the team probably said "Verme changed the channel...let's DO this!" 

I am not alone in this craziness;  my brother changes the channel as well and several other people I know leave the room.  So there.  When you are a rabid Packers fan, you have to have your strategies. 

At any rate, it worked!  Down by 16 points, the Packers came roaring back under the (please stay with me) backup to the backup to the backup to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.  Aaron has a broken collarbone.  Seneca Wallace was his backup but he's out with a groin injury.  Scott Tolzein is his backup and he was struggling after the first quarter.  That left Matt Flynn to come in and rally the troops.  If you are a Packers fan (and why wouldn't you be?), you'll know that Matt was backup to Aaron a few years ago, and then got traded and life in the trade after-world did not go well.  Fans started chanting "Bring Back Flynn" as soon as Aaron went down and Flynn was available but these things take time, kids.  But now he's back, and he almost saved the day.

I say "almost" because we managed to tie the Vikings and forced the game into overtime. And we went up by three after kicking a field goal but according to new NFL rules, a field goal isn't good enough; to win in OT, you must get a touchdown.  So we got a field goal, then the Vikings got a field goal.  Then we got another and they got another and the game was tied and overtime ran out of time and per the new rules, the game stayed a tie.

I have to tell you, this was kind of deflating.  I'm used to watching college ball where the overtimes are ridiculous but then again, this isn't college ball.  So the Vikings, who blew the lead, slunk off the field.  The Packers did the same.  Packer Nation went "Huh."  Vikings fans also went "Huh." In the end, it wasn't a win but it wasn't a loss.  It was what it was...whatever it was.  And so perhaps the "neutral" Sloppy Joes helped out after all?  And I do hope all the sisters who wrote this cookbook were watching from the wilds of Oshkosh (B'Gosh!), Wisconsin.  Although one should never assume anybody living in Wisconsin is a Packers fan, statistics will show that this is a very reasonable and in fact, very mathematically, correct assumption.

I don't know the exact age of these sisters but they must be close to my age, if not a bit older, because the recipes they include in this cookbook are pretty close to what I grew up eating.  And I think my favorite chapter from this book is the Salads chapter that included the priceless subtitle "Yes, Jell-O is a salad."  (You knew this, right?  Please tell me you knew this.) In my house, and theirs, Jell-O salad accompanied just about every meal and my mother had special Jell-O salads for special occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.  In fact, so inspired am I by this chapter that I think I'm going to haul out her Jell-O molds and get cracking, just in time for the holidays.  Included in this cookbook (and similar to ones in my mom's collection) are such delights as "Carrot Pineapple Jell-O Salad;" "Lime Cottage Cheese Salad;" and "Cranberry Relish Mold."  Sigh. I am having quite the blissful walk down memory lane right now.

In the Meat Chapter, Spamwiches are listed right next to the Sloppy Joe recipe and although mom never made these sandwiches, we certainly ate our fair share of Spam back in the day.  Once again, these gals and I are simpatico when it comes to family food. 

I can't recall if I ever mentioned in previous blog posts the one day a few years back that I had an incredible craving for a Sloppy Joe but if not, here's my story (and I'm sticking to it):  I was working on a legal project in downtown Minneapolis, and for whatever reason, I started to crave a Sloppy Joe.  I mean really crave as in I wanted one right now, period.  But where to find one? 

I called around several restaurants that served comfort food but nobody had Sloppy Joes on the menu.  In desperation, I asked several co-workers if anybody knew of any place downtown that served them.  Nobody knew.  I was crushed but what can you do?

But oh miracle of miracles, a few days later, a Jewish deli, located in the Minneapolis Skyway system not far from my office (skyways are indoor walkways) had a sign advertising their sandwich special of the day - Sloppy Joes.

And Jesus wept.  And I wept.  And it was good.

I don't know what it is Sloppy Joes that triggered such a strong craving that day but it did and so when opportunity knocked, I made it for the game.  And it too, was good.  The only thing I muffed was that the sisters recommended serving it on old-fashioned store-bought hamburger buns and we bought hamburger buns but they were of the whole wheat variety and this was wrong, people, wrong.  Here's why:  white bread soaks up all the grease, turning your bread orange AND allows you to squish the Sloppy Joe into a tight little square.  Our whole wheat buns did not.  We were foolish and for this we apologize; it won't happen again. 

Sloppy Joes (serving side not indicated but it calls for 4 pounds of ground beef so you might want to cut the recipe in half)

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

4 pounds ground beef

1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 finely chopped celery

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

hamburger buns

In a small frying pan, saute onions in butter until transparent.  Brown the ground beef gently in a large stainless steel frying pan until no pink is left, breaking down the chunks as you are moving the meat around.  Drain off excess fat.  Add the sauteed onions (do not drain off the butter).  Combine the rest of the ingredients and stir into browned meat.  Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes.  Serve on store-bought hamburger buns.  (Author's note:  This recipe can be made ahead and reheated.  It's one of those recipes that tastes better on the second day.)

"All About Sausage by Oscar Mayer & Co." - Wiener Cheesaroni

Date I made this recipe: November 21, 2010 (the annual Packer-Viking game)

All About Sausage by Oscar Mayer & Co.
Published by: Oscar Mayer & Co.
© 1973
Recipe: Weiner Cheesaroni – p. 50

Today marked the 100th meeting of the Green Bay Packers (yay!) and the Minnesota Vikings (boo!). And what a glorious meeting it was with the Packers winning 31-3. Tee hee hee. All I can say is payback’s a bitch: last year with Brett Favre as quarterback (having left the Packers in a huff 2 years before), the team I call the Vike-Queens smoked us. But this year to my great enjoyment, we royally embarrassed our rival as well as our ex-quarterback (traitor!) causing the Vikings owners to fire coach Brad Childress (that’s “Chilly” to those in the know), and Brett Favre to “re-evaluate” the game. Many sports announcers (and me) took this to mean he might sit out the rest of the season but of course not. Yesterday he announced (and not for the first time) that he didn’t MEAN he was going to quit. It just meant he was evaluating the rest of the season. Uh huh, right. Liar, liar, pants on fire.

At any rate, prior to the game, I decided to pay homage to my Packers by making something that just screams “Wisconsin:” sausage and cheese.

Now I have to tell you that I already knew, deep down in my gut, that this dish would probably not live up to the standards set by the back-to-back home runs of Craig Claiborne’s meals and it did not disappoint; it wasn’t a total disaster but it was close. In fact, when I informed my husband that I was making “Weiner Cheesaroni” for dinner, his cute little nose curled up in a gesture I can only describe as the universal signal for “Ew.” Honey, not every recipe can be a winner.

Here’s what is inherently wrong with this dish: it’s not the wieners or cheese or even macaroni that’s the problem, it’s the addition of caraway seeds and green onion. As I’ve said many times before in this blog though, I make the recipes as written and so like it or not, I went with ingredients I knew would be problematic and they were.

So here’s what I think could possibly salvage this next time around: scrap the caraway seeds and the green onion and use real onion instead. I’d sauté it first so the onion isn’t so sharp. And I’d add real cheese to the dish as well to make it extra creamy. Nothing against Campbell’s soup but in this case that canned flavor was just too much.

I’m not sure what to substitute for a spice, if anything, but definitely pass on the caraway seeds or you, too, will experience an “Ew” moment!

And speaking of “Ew” moments, I’d say the Packers handed Vikings fans enough “Ew” moments to last a lifetime. Go Pack Go!!

By the way, when I told the name of this dish to a coworker, he said “It sounds like a great name for a band!” (How true is that?!) Since “cheesearoni” sounds like Beefaroni (a popular canned macaroni product from the 60’s) we also promptly launched into the Beefaroni song. Okay, everybody: “We’re having Beefaroni. Made from macaroni. Beefaroni’s full of meat. Beefaroni’s really neat. Beefaroni’s fun to eat. Hooray! For Beefaroni!”

Thank you, thank you. I’m here all week…..

Wiener Cheesaroni – serves 5
1 pound package (10 wieners) ((I used half the amount but did buy Unsinger’s wieners, made in Milwaukee, WI).
7 ounces macaroni, cooked
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cheese soup
2/3 cup milk
½ cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon caraway seed

Preheat oven to 350. Cut half the wieners into bite-size pieces; combine with remaining ingredients in 2-quart casserole. Top with remaining whole wieners. Cover and bake 30 minutes, or until heated through.