St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage
By Mark Stokes
Published on February 15, 2004
When you get really hungry from all of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, parades, and hoisting pints, this recipe does the trick. Ingredients - 1 large corned beef brisket (available at your local butcher shop or grocery meat counter, or in a package at the grocery beef refrigerator) - 2 bottles stout beer - Pinch or two of red chili pepper - 2 teaspoons coriander seeds - 2 teaspoons mustard seeds - Pinch of cinnamon - Pinch of allspice - 4 large coarsely chopped potatoes - 6 carrots, coarsely sliced - 4 sliced turnips - 1 large cabbage, coarsely chopped - bay leaves - salt and pepper Preparation 1. In a large stove stew pot or crock pot, pour one bottle of stout. Add two bay leaves, the chile peppers, coriander and mustard seeds, cinnamon, allspice, and the juices that come with the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. 2. Put the corned beef on a steamer rack in the pot and add water to bring the liquid level up to the bottom of the meat. 3. Cover the pot over medium heat, bring to a boil. 4. Steam it for 4-6 hours for several hours until the meat is close to falling apart. Since this takes a lot of time, a good way to cook this is in a large crock pot so you don’t always need to attend to the flame or electric stovetop. Check the water level, and add more water and beer as needed. 5. Remove the meat and slice however you like it. Remove the rack, and put the meat back into the pot. 6. Add the potatoes, carrots, turnips, and all remaining ingredients. 7. Cover and boil it until the vegetables are tender but still crunchy. 8. In a separate pan, steam the cabbage for about 6- 10 minutes until cooked but still crunchy too. Serving In large-bowl like plates, serve the entire mixture. At this point, anyone should be able to eat the meal with a spoon. But throw in a knife and fork just in case. Accompany this meal with a good hearty Oregon stout beer, preferably dark with a thick foam head. Lift your glass to St. Patrick and the Irish! It’s almost guaranteed that after this meal you'll want to take a nice long nap.

St. Patrick's Day Beef Stew
By Mark Stokes
Published on February 06, 2004
There are a few things to say about this recipe. 1. St. Patrick was a French monk escaping from religious persecution. 2. Ireland had been deforested by various Anglo- Saxon tribes, the Romans, and others, so there were no snakes, and there still aren't any there. Not part of the menu. Or trees, or vegetables. 3. There were three items which could still be grown there. Potatoes, sheep, and cows. Oh, and one other thing. Enough hops to brew a pint of beer. So, on St. Patrick's Day, here's a stew for you. Ingredients - 6 whole white potatoes - 3 whole turnips - 3 whole white onions - chopped rump roast and chopped leg of lamb - Pepper and salt to taste - Some good Oregon Irish-style stout beer Preparation 1. Chop up the ingredients with a large knife. 2. Fill a large pot with water heat to simmering. 3. Put all of the ingredients into the pot, pour in one bottle of beer. 4. Cook on low for 3 hours. Serving 1. Spoon the stew into bowls. 2. Crack open a beer. 3. Give a toast to St. Patrick 4. Eat, drink not too much, and get over the legends. Almost. There are three-leaf clovers in Ireland. The animals and people eat them. Four-leaf clovers? Well, you get to dream about them when you've had this great meal. Oh, by the way, this is a completely carb-filled, totally chronically over-carbed recipe. For anyone concerned about that, this chef has just one recommendation. Enjoy it and eat it like the Irish do.

Norwegian Seafood With Pilsner
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 25, 2004
This one is very simple. Except you need to go to Stavanger, Norway. Go to the harbor and get a pound of fresh shrimp off the boat, along with some sardines. Ingredients - 1 pound fresh shrimp and a few sardines right out of the hold of a fishing boat - French bread - Norwegian pilsner Preparation 1. Boil the seafood in beer. 2. Bake and butter the bread. Serving Eat it with your hands right out of the pot on the dock in the harbor. Accompany with some pilsner. Serves 2, buy more seafood and bread to serve more.

Australian Smoked Kangaroo and Beer
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 25, 2004
This is a bit weird for American tastes, but it tastes good. Ingredients - 5 ounces Parmesan cheese - 3 cups chicken stock - 2 teaspoons salt - butter to taste - 5 tablespoons olive oil - 1 lb. smoked kangaroo, very thinly sliced - Handful of arugula - Dash of white wine vinegar - One can of good Australian beer Preparation 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot. 3. Cook them in the oven for 20 minutes. Serving 1. Chop and cut ingredients for single portions. 2. Place on plates with a romaine and tomato salad. 3. Hoist an Australian beer to your mates. Serves 4. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (300 degrees F). Grate two-thirds of the Parmesan cheese and set aside. Heat the stock in a deep saucepan until simmering, then pour in the polenta and salt, stirring constantly. Stir the polenta over very gentle heat for about 20 minutes, until it begins to leave the sides of the pan, then add the grated Parmesan. Turn the polenta into an ovenproof bowl, dot with a little butter and place in the oven, covered, to keep warm. When ready to serve, warm the olive oil gently in a frying pan or skillet, and toss the kangaroo in it quickly. The pan should not be too hot or the kangaroo will discolour and spoil. Turn the warm polenta out onto a serving platter and mound the kangaroo and rocket around it, then shave the remaining Parmesan over the lot with a vegetable peeler. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Beer and Maryland Crabs
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 22, 2004
This recipe is not only delicious, it's very fun to enjoy. Introduction When in Maryland on Chesapeake Bay (or anywhere else you can find crabs), spend an evening doing this with your friends. I guarantee your mouth, your stomach, and your rib cage will ache with pleasure. This recipe serves 30. Ingredients - Two bushel baskets of fresh, caught-this- morning Maryland blue crabs - Three cans or bottles of your favorite beer - 1 pint of tequila - Fresh-squeezed lemons and limes - A lot of finger food, sliced carrots, celery, zucchini, chips, dips - As much french bread as you can find, and butter - Beer, sodas, water Tools - A large aluminum vat, sitting on top of some form of barbecue grill or an open fire - A million napkins - Something to stir with along the lines of a small shovel - Picnic tables covered with newspaper and a wooden mallet for each place setting - Solid paper plates - Tongs - A lot of good music played continuously and very loudly Preparation 1. Set the vat over the fire. 2. Pour in four gallons of water. 3. Pour in the beer and tequila. 4. Wait until the liquids are simmering. 5. Dump in the crabs, boil for about 5 minutes. Stir. Squeeze in the lime and lemon juices. Serving and Eating 1. Hand the pair of tongs to each guest, and say grab a crab. That's it. They grab a crab, slap it on a plate, have a beer, and everyone starts smashing their crabs. 2. Tear the crabs apart with your fingers and eat the meat, and feel very good about making a complete mess. Enjoy and laugh a lot!

Sauerbraten and Beer
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 22, 2004
This is a great classic German recipe, always accompanied with beer, and sometimes cooked with it too. Ingredients - 3 pound beef rump roast or a similar cut of meat - 2 cups water - 1/2 cup red wine - 1/2 cup red wine vinegar - 1 bottle of hearty beer - 1 sliced white onion - 3 whole cloves - 4 whole black peppercorns - 2 bay leaves - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 2 tablespoons chopped ginger Preparation 1. To marinate the meat, in a saucepan combine the water, red wine, vinegar, onion, cloves and bay leaves to briefly saute. Put the meat into the blended sauce, cover and refrigerate for at least one day. 2. Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade so all you have left is liquid. 3. Brown the roast in a deep pan using the olive oil. Drain any fat. Add the marinade liquid, salt, and the beer. Simmer for 1.5 hours. 4. Add a bit of flour or corn starch to the remaining marinade, thickening it to the point of being a gravy. Serving Slice the roast thinly and serve with roasted potatoes and a chopped cabbage salad. Hoist a mug of your favorite beer to toast your friends! Serves 6.

Sausages and Beer
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 22, 2004
There are dozens of types of sausages. With this recipe I've selected two specific types. Ingredients - Either fresh bratwurst from Germany or cooked Kielbasa from Poland - One sliced white onion - Boiled red new potatoes - Romaine lettuce and red tomatoes Preparation 1. With the Kielbasa, just heat it up in the oven or microwave. With the fresh Bratwurst, place the sausage links in a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water and 1/2 inch of heavily flavored beer. Cover, simmer for about 15 minutes and drain. Then brown the sausages for two more minutes. 2. Boil the potatoes, make a salad, and fine-chop the white onion. 3. Chop up the sausages and potatoes on the plate. Eat with your favorite beer, rich in hops and wheat. Enjoy!

Chorizo Tostadas with Beer
By Mark Stokes
Published on January 22, 2004
Chorizo is a very spicy pork sausage, usually chopped up. With some beer it will wake up your tounge. Ingredients - 1 lb. of chorizo, available at your local Mexican market - 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce - 2 tablespoons olive oil - A dash of lemon juice - A dash of white vinegar - One can of bean dip - One cup of fresh salsa or hot sauce - One avocado, sliced - Corn torillas - 2 cups diced chicken or fish - 1 chopped tomato - 1 cup shredded Oregon cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup chopped black olives - 1 bottle of Mexican beer Preparation 1. Heat the chorizo in a saucepan. Add the onions and beer. Cook down, drain the fat. 2. Saute the chicken or fish in the olive oil. Drain and set aside. 3. Heat the tortillas in the oven in a packet of foil. 4. Heat the beans with salsa or hot sauce. 5. Lay a tortilla on a plate. Smear the bean mixture on it. Add the other ingredents, topped by lettuce and cheese. Have a beer with it.