Beer Cuisine on the Road

Eating good food on the road can be challenging. Oftentimes we’re drawn to those stops right off the freeway, with little time to search out the local favorite. Between fast food and chain restaurants, we find ourselves stuck choosing between a bad burger or a greasy taco.

On a recent trip, I found myself walking into a truck stop—one with a huge travel center attached to the mini-mart. Cruising the aisles, I found 12-volt heaven tucked between tortilla chips and CB radios! Cooking appliances that simply plug straight into the car’s cigarette lighter: popcorn makers, skillets, pizza ovens, portable refrigerators, Crock-pots and the holy grail, the RoadPro portable stove. This modified lunch box heats to 300°, is lightweight and simple to use—just plug it in and it gets hot.

So, when we talk about cooking on the road, gone are the days of wrapped hot dogs cooked on the engine block. With a portable stove, a little imagination and forethought, you can enjoy great bière cuisine on the road for that summer vacation, day trip to the beach or day-long pub crawl with friends.

This month I took the opportunity to fire up my portable stove and visit four Northern California breweries and pubs. For each stop I created a recipe that would pair nicely with the beers on tap and sat down to visit with the head brewers.

Golden Gate Oysters
Baked oysters on a bed of spinach, bacon, fennel and Stout cream.

First stop: the 21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant in San Francisco. I showed up with my hot box and sat down to meet with brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan. Lifting the lid, the aroma of bacon, fennel and spinach mixed with oysters filled the table. Shaun poured some of his annual Oyster Stout and we started slurping down the bivalves. “This just adds another facet to the food, beer, culinary enjoyment, and the idea that you can drive somewhere on a pub crawl and throw something together in that little oven and enjoy it upon arriving at your destination is another great opportunity to enjoy great food and beer.” As he tasted the baked oysters, Shaun said smiling, “I thought there were sweet and creamy elements of the oysters that went really well with the subtle roasty, slightly salty quality of the Oyster Stout.”

Makes: 5 individual oysters
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes (10 minutes in a conventional oven)
Pairing suggestions: 21st Amendment Oyster Stout

Ingredients:
3 strips bacon, sliced widthwise
2 tbsp shallot, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fennel bulb, green fonds removed and diced
1 bunch spinach, preferably organic, washed, stems removed
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp Dry Stout
5 each Hog Island oysters, or other fresh variety
sea salt and black pepper

Directions:
In a sauté pan over low heat, add bacon and render the fat, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Once the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan setting aside in a bowl. In the remaining melted fat, add shallots and fennel, cooking for 10 minutes on low heat. Add the chopped spinach, cream and Stout to the pan, mixing to wilt the spinach, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture cool.

To shuck the oysters, take a dish towel and hold an oyster in your hand, with the bowl of the oyster in your palm. Taking an oyster knife, slip the tip between the shells just in front of the hinge. Twist the blade to open the shell wider. Slide the edge of the knife forward to cut the muscle that holds the two shells together. Be careful not to bring shell debris into the oyster. This may take some practice. Cut the oyster meat from the shell and place into a bowl. Repeat with remaining oysters.

Fill the oyster shell with a tablespoon of the spinach mixture, placing one oyster on top. Repeat with remaining oysters. Refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be made 12 hours in advance.

Cooking Instructions:
Line the inside of the portable stove with aluminum foil. Take a second piece of aluminum foil and crinkle it up, keeping it in a rectangle shape. Place this piece on top of the lining. Take each stuffed shell and set firmly onto the crinkled foil, pressing down to keep each shell level. Close the oven and lock the lid. Plug into the cigarette lighter and cook for 25 minutes. The smell of the oysters will just start to escape the box when they are done.

In a conventional oven, roast at 400° for 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Shepherd’s Pie
Second stop: Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant in Novato. I met with Denise Jones at the bar with a piping hot shepherd’s pie cooked in the portable stove after an hour long drive. Denise had just returned from vacation and took a break to have a bite with me. Smelling the shepherd’s pie, she poured a sampling of Moylan’s Irish Red, Scottish Ale and Dry Stout on nitro to pair with lunch. “I think these three beers do really well, especially cooking with them and/or pairing with this traditional fare. The only drawback to the stove is the shepherd’s pie is missing that crisp caramelization of cheese.” I suggested a portable torch would be the key to finish it up. “One more thing to bring on the road,” Denise chuckled. “It’s kind of fun.”

Serves: 3
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour (40 minutes with a conventional oven)
Pairing suggestions: Irish Style Red Ale, Kilt Lifter Scottish Style Ale or Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout

Ingredients for Topping:
2 each Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (10 oz)
1 each yam, peeled and cubed (10 oz)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted
1/2 cup Scottish Ale
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup goat Gouda or white cheddar, grated

Ingredients for Filling:
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb. ground buffalo or lamb
1 each carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 each yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 each celery rib, chopped
1/2 cup leeks, white and green part only, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp Italian leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 cup Irish Red Ale
1 cup chicken stock
1 each disposable loaf pan, 8×4 in.

Directions:
For the topping, add Yukon potatoes and yams to a medium pot, covering with cold water. Place over a high flame, adding salt and cook for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water and use either a potato ricer or a masher and blend until smooth. Mix in butter, ale and whipping cream, seasoning with salt and black pepper. The consistency should be that of firm mashed potatoes. Set aside.

For filling, in a sauté pan over medium high heat, add butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted add ground buffalo (or other meat) to the pan, using a spoon to break up any clumps of meat, cooking until there is no pink left and the meat is browned evenly. Remove meat from the pan into a bowl, leaving as much oil behind as possible. Add the carrots, onions, celery and leeks, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the reserved meat, thyme, parsley and ale, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any fond. Once the liquid comes to a boil, stir in the stock and bring back to a boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the ale and stock form a gravy-like sauce. Check seasoning.

To assemble, place the meat mixture into the loaf pan and spoon the potato-yam mixture evenly over the top. Next, take the grated cheese and distribute in a single layer. Refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be made 24 hours in advance.

Cooking Instructions:
Place the loaf pan uncovered into the portable oven and lock the lid. Plug into the cigarette lighter and cook for 1 hour. Since the pie is already cooked, it just needs to be warmed throughout.

For a standard oven, preheat to 350°. Place the shepherd’s pie in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese has melted and started to turn a nice golden brown color and the filling has started to bubble. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

This recipe may be doubled or tripled if cooked in a conventional oven to feed a crowd.

Foil-Packed Salmon, Steamed in Beer
On a bed of seasonal vegetables

Third stop: Russian River Brewing Company’s new brewery expansion in Santa Rosa. While there, the new 50-barrel brewery was being installed. My timing was appreciated as owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo hadn’t had a break all morning. “Damnation and Redemption are both really great beers to pair with seafood,” explains Vinnie Cilurzo. “This takes beer cuisine to a new level, cooking with Damnation out of the back of your car through a cigarette lighter. It’s cool.”

Serves: 2 as an entree
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour (40 minutes with a conventional oven)
Pairing suggestions: Redemption (Belgian Style Blonde Ale)

Ingredients:
6 each asparagus spears, cut thinly on the bias
1 each carrot, peeled and julienned
1/2 each red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1/4 cup leeks, sliced
2 sprigs thyme, fresh
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
10 oz wild salmon fillet, bones and skin removed
1/4 cup Damnation or other Belgian Strong Golden Ale
sea salt and black pepper
1 sheet aluminum heavy duty foil, 12 x 12 in.

Directions:
Start by prepping the asparagus, carrots, bell peppers and leeks. Combine and season with salt and pepper. Take the square of aluminum foil and place the mixed vegetables in the center, creating a rectangle the size of the salmon fillet. Take 1 tablespoon of butter and divide it into four pieces, spacing each piece equally over the vegetables. Place the thyme sprigs over the butter, then top with the salmon fillet. Next take the remaining tablespoons of butter and again divide by four and equally space each piece over the fillet. Fold the foil up the sides of the fish lengthwise, making the width no more that 4 1/2 inches long. Bring the two sides together and create a fold 1/2 inch thick, and continue to fold over till the top of the foil is just above the fish. Take one side of the package and fold the side up, helping to create a container that will hold the ale. Fold and seal as just directed. On the remaining open side, pour ale into package and seal. The length should not be more than 8 1/2 inches long. Be careful not to tear the aluminum foil, or the package will leak. The package may be prepared 24 hours in advance, omitting the ale until ready to cook.

Cooking Instructions:
Place salmon pouch into the portable oven and lock the lid. Plug into the cigarette lighter and wait 50 minutes. Check to see if the fish has turned a soft pink color and the butter has melted. Depending on the thickness of the fillet, up to 10 minutes more cooking may be needed.

To cook in a conventional oven, preheat to 350° and bake for 40 minutes. To serve, remove the foil package, open it carefully as the steam can cause burns, serve to your guests and enjoy.

Stuffed Mushrooms
With lamb and morels

Fourth stop: Downtown Joe’s American Grill and Brewhouse in Napa. I like catching up with brewmaster Colin Kaminski, as he is always interested in new experiments. After settling in, I presented him with my little black box. Inside were mushrooms stuffed with lamb and morels rehydrated with a Brown Ale. Colin went behind the bar and poured up his Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale and Tail Waggin’ Amber Ale to pair with the late afternoon snack. “The thyme and rosemary flavors are accentuated by the hops in the English Bitter,” Colin mentioned between bites, “I wouldn’t have known the herbs were there if it weren’t for the pairing with the Bitter Ale. Great concept.”

Makes: 15 stuffed mushrooms, serving 4 as an appetizer
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Pairing suggestions: Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Brown Ale (Naughty Nellie from Pikes Brewery)
1/4 oz morel mushrooms, dried
15 each crimini mushrooms, stems removed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
2 tbsp shallots, peeled and minced
2 each garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp thyme leaves
1tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
1/4 lb. ground lamb, can substitute buffalo or venison
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated
sea salt and black pepper
1 each disposable loaf pan, 8×4 in.

Directions:
In a liquid measuring cup, add Brown Ale and morel mushrooms and let sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate.

Place the stemmed mushrooms in a medium size bowl, drizzling olive oil evenly over the top and tossing to distribute the oil. This will help the caps from shrinking during cooking.

In a sauté pan on medium heat, add butter and shallots, cooking for 5 minutes, just until lightly caramelized. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Take the hydrated morels and slice them widthwise into small rings. Add to the shallot/garlic mixture and cook for 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with most of the brown ale, leaving behind any dirt or debris as you would yeast from a bottle. Reduce until the liquid has evaporated to 1 tablespoon. Remove from heat, mix in the herbs and cool for 5 minutes. Combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of cheese into the shallot/mushroom mixture. Next, take 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture and fill each mushroom cap, then roll lightly in remaining cheese. Set cap into the loaf pan (or create an aluminum baking dish out of foil). Repeat until all the mushrooms are filled. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Cooking Instructions:
Place the loaf pan uncovered into the portable oven and lock the lid. Plug into the cigarette lighter and cook for 40 minutes. The cheese will have melted and stuffing will be cooked all the way through.

For a standard oven, preheat to 350° and bake for 25 minutes. ■