Stella Beer Cheese Soup

The last time my husband was home I tried to make him beer cheese soup. It was a disaster! I had to toss the entire thing out. My issue was with making the roux for the soup. I do not know what I did wrong, but the soup ended up with a texture of soaked newspaper. Anyway, this evening I found myself, yet again, with an almost empty fridge. I had: 1 Stella Artois® beer, 2 spicy, smoked-type sausages, veggies, and in my cupboard a can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup. Can you tell where I'm going with this? Not only did these ingredients inspire me to try to make beer cheese soup again, but also the fact that I named the recipe after my baby girl, Stella.

INGREDIENTS (serves maybe 4 people)

• 1 celery stalk, small dice
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 smoked-sausages (your favorite kind), diced
• 1 bottle of Stella Artois® beer
• 1 (10 oz) can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth or chicken stock or water (optional)
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS 

In a medium stock pan melt the butter. Add the celery, carrot, onion and thyme sprig and a pinch of kosher salt and sweat over medium-high heat until vegetables are slightly tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the diced sausage and mix to combine and to heat through.

Next, add half of the beer and slightly raise the heat. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. Add the canned cheese soup and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer and add the rest of the beer. Bring to a boil again then, if soup thickness is to your liking, just keep it on very low for another 5 minutes. But if you want your soup a little more thinner, add the 1/2 cup of beef broth. Bring to a boil again, then simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Serve with cheese crostini and a cold, home-brewed Stella beer (if you can find one) or a Stella Artois®.

Sauerkraut and Kielbasa Stew

Okay, I'm not sure if this is really a stew but that's what I'm calling it because you basically put all your ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for 2 to 3 hours. I also used turkey kielbasa just to make it slightly healthier, but you can use regular kielbasa for this recipe. I was quite surprised with the flavor: it was really tasty and a bit sour! I think next time I'll omit the potatoes and cut the kielbasa hot dog-size so I can serve it in rolls with some mustard. Yum!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (four if you are a garlic lover)
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 potatoes, peeled and diced (try to use a waxy potato like Yukon gold)
• 1 (16 ounce) bag sauerkraut, from the deli aisle (not canned please)
• 1 lb beef kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (two if you love sausage)

DIRECTIONS

In a large ovenproof pan put the cold butter with the diced onion, and slowly bring to a simmer on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add minced garlic and simmer 2 more minutes. Add the thyme and sage. Next combine with the sauerkraut (undrained and unrinsed), kielbasa and potatoes.

Bring to a simmer and cover loosely with foil and place in a preheated 225°F oven for 3 hours. (I cooked mine over the the stove top because it was too hot to use the oven and it came out just fine).

Making Homemade Sweet Spanish Sausage

My father-in-law taught me how to make homemade sausage. Although the entire process took longer than I expected, it was quite fun and it was great working with new ingredients such as the natural pork casings. Also, you don't have to soak the raisins in brandy, but we did. You will need some Irish whiskey and red wine to assist you in the process.

Below is the recipe for one pound of pork. We made 8 pounds, so just multiply the recipe accordingly. And if you don't want to make links and/or use pork casings, you can just make sausage patties instead. Cheers!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into pieces that will fit your grinder, and place in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes
• 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 3 Tablespoons golden raisins, soaked in brandy
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package of natural pork casings

DIRECTIONS

1. Take a swig of some fine Irish whiskey. In a meat grinder, grind the pork.
2. Meanwhile, have someone (like your daughter-in-law) soak the casings in warm water, then run some water through the intestines to clean them out from the inside. You can use synthetic casings, but what's the fun in that. Take another swig.
3. In a mortar and pestle add all the spice ingredients, except the garlic, and grind, grind, grind.
4. Open a bottle of red wine.
5. To the ground pork add all the raisins, garlic and the spice seasonings and mix well to combine.
6. Pour two glasses of wine, one for you and one for your assistant; now you're ready to get dirty.
7. Place one of the casings on the mean grinder tube attachment or on the attachment on your piston stuffer and scrunch it, or follow your manufacturer's directions.
8. Fill the grinder or hand-cranked piston with some of the sausage mix and start stuffing. Drink a little more wine, and continue stuffing. You don't have to twist the ends of the casings, btw.
9. As you stuff, make sure you, or your assistant, curl the sausage or even twist it every 6 inches or so.
10. Continue stuffing the casings until you finish up all the mixture. Chill the sausage (or place in freezer). Drink the rest of the wine.
11. You've done it! You’ve just made homemade sausage. It's time to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate!

Moros y Cristianos (Cuban Style Black Beans & Rice)

This dish is always a big hit at parties. The combination of black beans, rice and ground beef is such a sinful, yet healthy, combination. This dish is a staple in Cuba and it's extremely popular in Florida—especially in Miami.

My sister-in-law found this recipe in a Recipezaar and in order to make the dish slightly less healthy, she used ground beef instead of the crumbled turkey sausage that the original recipe calls for. And if you want to make it even more flavorful, try using bulk Italian sausage. In my opinion, Mona Lisa deli has the best bulk sausage in San Diego. Buen provecho!

INGREDIENTS (10 servings)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (you want 1 cup of chopped onions)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 1 (15 3/4 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 ½ to 2 lb. cooked crumbled ground beef or bulk Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup diced green bell peppers
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups cooked white rice
• Cilantro, for garnish
• parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in pan and sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and broth and bring to boil.

Add next seven ingredients (beans through bay leaf) and bring to boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Discard bay leaf before serving; place the cooked white rice in a large serving bowl or platter and top serve the bean-sausage mixture over rice; gently toss to combine and sprinkle parmesan cheese, if desired, and add cilantro for garnish.

Kielbasa Stew

Every day I love my Crock-Pot® more and more. I guess I always had this notion that crock-pots were for crazy old ladies with lots of cats or for lazy cooks who didn't know how to cook, but now I see that crock-pots are the perfect kitchen appliance for everyone, including busy-bees like me! Anyhoo, I've created several crock-pot delights, one of which is this kielbasa stew which I like to serve over egg noodles or even bow-tie pasta. It's very important you use the leanest ground beef, and use turkey kielbasa, if you can find it. Don't forget the crusty bread...this is a total comfort food full of carbs! I love it!!!

INGREDIENTS (feeds an army of 4)

• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 lb. Kielbasa sausage, sliced (use turkey kielbasa if you want to cut down on the grease)
• 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
• 9 ounces pkg. frozen French-cut green beans
• 6 oz. can pitted black olives (whole, drained)
• 1/2 C. red wine, such as Rosso or Chianti (I used 2-buck chuck, Charles Shaw)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, sliced in rings
• 1 green pepper, chopped (I used red bell pepper, instead)
• 1 t. dried basil crushed
• 1 t. dried oregano crushed
• 1/2 t. dried thyme crushed
• 1/4 t. ground black pepper
• 1 lb. pasta of your choice
• parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a medium skillet, sauté ground beef until it's lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. **You do not want to add hot food into a cold crock-pot because it may cause the bowl to crack.

Once ground beef is cooled, add it to the crock-pot along with all the ingredients except the pasta and parmesan. Simmer on low for 6-8 hours.

When you are ready to serve, cook pasta according to package directions. Ladle kielbasa stew over pasta in large bowls. Top with parmesan cheese to garnish and serve yourself a nice glass of Chianti.

Chorizo and Eggs

When I was growing up in Mexico, my mom used to make us chorizo and eggs almost every Saturday morning. Back then we didn't really care (or know) about all the saturated fat in chorizo. Nowadays, I rarely eat chorizo and eggs, but once in a while it's okay to splurge. I've seen leaner chorizo in the grocery store, but to me you have to use the full-fat real Mexican chorizo to get the best taste. You can also make awesome burritos with this recipe. Just add the chorizo and egg mixture into a warm flour tortilla and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 6 oz Mexican chorizo (spicy raw pork sausage)
• 8 to 10 large eggs
• Warm corn tortillas
• Cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Remove casing from chorizo and cook (without oil) in skillet over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up meat, until bubbling and completely separated, 5 to 6 minutes.

Whisk eggs together in a bowl and stir into chorizo. Cook, stirring, until eggs are scrambled and just set, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with lots of warm corn tortillas.

Kielbasa Special

I wanted to make my husband a good ol' meat and potatoes meal that reminded him of his hometown in Minnesota. This meal uses the Mid-western staple of kielbasa, which is fully cooked sausage with great flavoring. A nice toasted piece of buttered rye bread goes well with this meal, as well as a tall glass of Guinness!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

• 1 Kielbasa sausage, cut into 1" pieces on the diagonal
• 4 or 5 white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2" to 1" pieces
• 2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper

First, boil the potatoes in a large pot of water for about 12 to 15 minutes. You want them to be almost fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, cook the bacon on medium-high heat in a large sauté pan for about 3 to 5 minutes until bacon renders out its bacon grease. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the bacon grease. Sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the red bell pepper and apple slices. Season with a 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and sauté for another 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes or so, add the shredded cabbage and cider vinegar and combine it with the ingredients. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the bacon back into the cabbage and sauté the cabbage for another 8 to 10 minutes, uncovered. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed (it probably will) and add a tablespoon of butter during the last minute of cooking.

While you are sautéing the cabbage, get another skillet on the stove. Heat to medium. Cook the kielbasa until it gets nice and browned on all sides. Set it aside and cover with foil to keep warm. In the same skillet, add a little vegetable oil and cook the par-boiled potatoes and brown them nicely on all sides too. (I prefer to sautéd the kielbasa and potatoes together, but it's up to you how you like to do it.)

Before serving, combine the kielbasa and potatoes in a large bowl. Serve some kielbasa and potatoes on a plate with sautéed cabbage and a piece of buttered, rye bread...don't ya know.

Bangers and Mash

In 133 days, my husband, my mom, my step-dad and I will be on our way to London, England. As you can tell, I’m terribly excited and I can’t wait. In order to get ready for this trip, I’ve been searching for authentic British recipes, and although the Brits are not known for their gourmet meals, they did invent one of my favorite meals, bangers and mash. If you've never had this British dish, you're in for a treat. It's quite easy to make and it's definitely a crowd pleaser. A banger, by the way, is another name for sausages...so start banging!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 to 4, depending on how hungry you are)

• 1 to 1-1/2 lb. pork or beef sausages (about 4)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup red wine
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 4 large baking potatoes, peeled and halved
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• Butter
• Salt and pepper
• Milk
• 2 tbsp. chives, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in half. Place the 'taters and garlic in a pot covered with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes until soft. When done remove from heat, drain and set aside.
2. Prick the sausages with a fork a few times and fry them in a large skillet over medium heat, adding a tablespoon of vegetable oil if they are very lean sausages. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm or place them in a warm (200 degree) oven.
3. Remove all but one tablespoon of grease from the frying pan and add the onions (you can add more oil if your sausages did not render enough grease). Fry the onions until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and beef stock and stir until the liquid starts to thicken and reduce, 5 to 10 more minutes. Season to taste.
4. While the onion gravy is cooking, mash the potatoes and garlic, adding butter and milk until the mashed potatoes get to your desired consistency. Add the chives and season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the bangers and mash on a warm platter and pour the onion gravy over it.