Hearty Irish Lager Stew

You probably don't think "vegetarian" when you think of Irish food, but this dish is not only vegetarian, it's vegan. This recipe for Hearty Irish Lager Stew from the March, 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine is made with no animal products at all so it's super healthy. That might not have you smackin' your lips, but this stew is very tasty and since it's made of mostly veggies, you can eat a huge amount and it won't go to your hips. And, it's made with beer! So that's kinda fun.

Make sure you cut your veggies on the small side. Ours were a bit large and with the cooking times listed in the recipe we found that the potatoes were still hard. We cooked it an extra 15-20 minutes and some of it was still al dente. It was good anyways; I don't mind chewing my vegetables. I'd rather that than have them be too mushy. And we munched on some Salt and Vinegar Potato Bites while we were waiting for the stew to finish so we had no complaints.

Hearty Irish Lager Stew Serves 8 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 8 oz. button or shittake mushrooms, halved 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.) 1 medium leek, white part only, diced (1 cup) 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (2 cups) 2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced (1½ cups) 1½ tsp. tomato paste 1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes 1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth 2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in bundle, plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided ½ lager beer 1½ Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 Tbsp. white miso 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Heat ½ Tbsp. oil in large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining ½ Tbsp. oil to pot. Add leek, and cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduct heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add lager, tapioca, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, stir in cabbage and miso, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information as provided in magazine:
Per 1-cup serving: 118 CAL; 4 G PROT; 2 G TOTAL FAT (<1 G SAT FAT); 23 G CARB; 0 MG CHOL; 204 MG SOD; 5 G FIBER; 5 G SUGARS

#11: Phoenix Pale Ale

Another microbrew in a can . . . Phoenix Pale Ale from Sly Fox Beer is #11 on Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try. This is definitely the coolest can out of the three on the list. But I liked it less than #12 Dale’s Pale Ale.

This is the strongest of the three beers and I just don't like my beer that strong. However, I have learned a very important lesson. Strong beer needs to go with strong food. When I drank the Phoenix Pale Ale by itself I wasn't happy with it. But when I drank some with dinner while eating the Red Rice and Chorizo, it tasted really nice. It was as if I somehow was finally able to taste the flavors that are normally overpowered when drinking alone. There was something about the powerful flavor of the chorizo which balanced off the strong hops in this beer.

#12: Dale's Pale Ale

I guess Microbrews are now coming in cans. And did you know that "Microbrew" are now also called "Craft Beer". At least that is how Food & Wine has identified this trend on their list of 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. Three canned beers are on its list. I recently tried #12 Dale's Pale Ale which is brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado. According to Food & Wine, "Aluminum is better at keeping out light and oxygen­—beer’s enemies.".

I enjoy beer. I don't really care if it is in a can or a bottle I suppose. But the cans remind me of college and drinking from the bottle makes me feel more like an adult. My taste in beer is for the lighter variety. I do not enjoy the strong taste of hops. On my beer scale, Bud Light is a 1 and Guinness is a 10. I usually drink a 2 or a 3. I consider Amstel Light a 2. The strongest I can drink is a Harp's which is a 7. I'd rate Dale's Pale Ale as a 4. Out of the three beers on the list, this one is my second favorite.

A friend of mine also tasted this beer and it was too strong for him as well. But he likes his been even lighter than I do! He actually put hot sauce in it so that all he'd taste is the heat of the spice. What a goof.

The first time I tasted the beer it was strong. But I had it a different night with the Creole Sausage and Shrimp and it was PERFECT! That strong beer was almost needed with that type of a spicy dinner.