Beer Girl Cooks

Cooking & Craft Beer

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Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

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Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

 

I figured you’d be tired of turkey by now.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

I feel like the last days of November following Thanksgiving are kind of a limbo place.  That place where I’m still full of all the heavy food and exhausted from the preparation and cleanup, yet not quite ready to get my holiday bake on.

So I made you some Belgian Ale Shrimp and Grits.  Something so far from the aftermath of Thanksgiving and so far from the sweetness of all the holiday baking.  I actually made this dish over a month ago, but didn’t get around to posting it because of all the holiday stuff.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

Chris and our friend Jeff went to the Panthers – Cardinals game here at home.  These guys have traditionally gone to at least one home game together each year then come back to our house for dinner. This game was on October 30th, the day before Halloween, and it was about 80 degrees, so the typical post-game pot roast dinner seemed a bit out of season.  Shrimp was on sale and that’s how we rolled. Add beer.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

We won after a string of losses and there was much cause for celebration.  That is until someone brought up politics, that ridiculous election, and all things that should never be discussed.  That may or may not have been the day I may or may not have thrown this pie.  Don’t judge me.  I make no admissions.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits
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Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

  • 6 pieces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 16 ounces Belgian style ale
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp peeled, deveined, tails on or off
  • 1 cup yellow corn grits prepared according to package directions - I used Bob's Red Mill because I like the smooth texture
  • Chopped parsley as an optional garnish

Instructions

  1. In a cast iron skillet cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, remove from pan, drain on paper towel lined plate, set aside
  2. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings from the skillet, add butter, and return to medium heat
  3. Add onion, green pepper, and red pepper and cook until softened and fragrant, 3 - 4 minutes
  4. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring frequently careful not to burn
  5. Add tomato paste and stir for another minute
  6. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook another 1 -2 minutes, stirring frequently
  7. Add beer, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer
  8. Cook a few minutes until mixture thickens
  9. Add chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time, until desired thickness is reached
  10. Add shrimp and cook until pink in color - the timing will vary according to the size of the shrimp
  11. Serve over grits and garnish with parsley if using

NOTES:

  1. I used a Belgian style ale in this dish.  I am confident that a wit or wheat beer would also be delicious.  You could use a pale ale that’s not very hop forward, but I would stay away from an IPA or anything too hoppy or bitter because once you reduce that it’s going to be the main flavor you have and it’s not going to be good.  Stick with the floral or malty styles of craft beer and you’ll be good.
  2. I can’t remember what size these shrimp were, but the cooking time will be longer, the larger the shrimp are.  They just poach in the sauce at the very end for a few minutes until they’re pink and no longer translucent.  Most will only take about 3 – 5 minutes.

 

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

Philly Cheesesteak – Southern Style with Pimento Cheese, Jalapeno Pale Ale Fried Green Tomatoes topped with a Sunny Side Up Fried Egg

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Surprise!  It’s totally a very manly virtual baby shower for David!

 

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This is not yo mama’s baby shower.  This is all about dudes and dude food, yo!  David loves him some southern food, so we’re taking this Yankee classic – the Philly Cheesesteak – and southernizing it with some pimento cheese and Bird Song Brewing Jalapeno Pale Ale fried green tomatoes.  Woot!

 

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Of course, it wouldn’t be truly southern if we didn’t crack a fried egg on top and throw in some beer! So what?  I might be a redneck if I bring beer to a baby shower, but it’s a MAN shower with dude food and David’s not the one with the bun in the oven!  Beer is mandatory.

 

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David is lives in upstate NY and belongs to a curling club – how cool is that?  My southern heart does not quite understand what in tarnation happens with this rock and ice activity, but I’m totally on board with his love of cinnamon.

 

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David also loves grilling, but I just cooked up this steak in a cast iron skillet.

 

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I absolutely adore the spirit of a very manly virtual baby shower.  Seriously, I love the community and friends I’ve made in this blogging world. I hope y’all join us in celebrating David and his wife Laura welcoming their little dude into their family!

 

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Cheers and Congratulations David and Laura!

 

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Here are the rest of the cool bloggers at the party:

  1. American Heritage Cooking – Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Hand Pies
  2. Bakerita – Bacon Toffee
  3. Baking a Moment – http://bakingamoment.com/pumpkin-beer-soft-pretzels/
  4. The Big Man’s World – No-Bake Salted Caramel Apple Slice
  5. Blahnik Baker – Shredded BBQ Chicken Nachos
  6. Cook with Manali – Cinnamon Churros
  7. Cooking for Keeps – Brown Butter Seared Burgers Bourbon Mushrooms and Gruyere
  8. Foodness Gracious – Cider Braised Beef with Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash
  9. Gather for Bread – Ham Potato and Corn Chowder
  10. Hip Foodie Mom – Mini Croques Monsieur Sandwiches
  11. The Iron You – Wolfpack Style Meatballs
  12. Jem of the South – Praline Popcorn
  13. Kevin is Cooking – No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Pecan Tarts
  14. Life Made Sweeter – Maple Sriracha Pulled Pork Mini Pot Pies
  15. Pizzazzerie – Vanilla Almond Snowball Cake
  16. Runnin Srilankan – Cinnamon Bacon Doughnuts
  17. Shared Appetite – Buffalo Garlic Knots
  18. Snixy Kitchen – Butternut Squash Bacon Deviled Eggs
  19. Urban Bakes – Maple Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Doughnuts
  20. Whisk and Shout – Vegan White Pizza With Spinach Basil

 

 

 

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Philly Cheesesteak – Southern Style

Ingredients

For the Pimento Cheese

  • 8 ounces extra sharp white cheddar shredded
  • 4 ounces extra sharp yellow cheddar shredded
  • 1/2 cup mayonaise
  • 1/4 cup pimentos

For the Jalapeno Pale Ale Battered Fried Green Tomatoes

  • 2 medium to large green tomatoes cut into 1/4 inch slices - you want to have at least 2 per sandwich (at least 8 slices)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup beer - I used Birdsong Brewing Co. Jalapeno Pale Ale
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup canola oil - depending on the size of your pan - you want the oil to come halfway up the sides of the tomatoes

Other Ingredients

  • 1 green bell pepper cored and sliced into 1/4 inch wide pieces lengthwise
  • 2 onions halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 fried egg per sandwich
  • 4 hoagie rolls
  • 3 pounds or so very thinly sliced sirloin
  • Texas Pete optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200

For the Pimento Cheese

  1. Combine both cheeses, mayonaise, and pimentos in a food processor and blend until combined
  2. Set aside or refrigerate until needed

For the Jalapeno Pale Ale Fried Green Tomatoes

  1. Combine beer and flour in a bowl and set aside for 20-30 minutes
  2. Add panko to a separate bowl
  3. Pour canola oil into a deep cast iron skillet over high heat
  4. Coat both sides of tomatoes in beer batter, then transfer to the bowl of panko and coat both sides, shaking off excess
  5. Working in batches, CAREFULLY and using tongs, transfer tomatoes to hot oil and fry until you can see that they are getting golden, crispy, and brown on the bottom and coming up the sides, then carefully flip and fry until golden, crispy, and brown on the other side
  6. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate, then transfer to a parchment lined baking pan
  7. When all tomatoes are fried, drained, and transferred to the baking pan, keep warm in oven

For the Peppers and Onions

  1. Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat
  2. Add sliced peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add onions and cook until fragrant and translucent and peppers are soft

Cooking the Meat and Finishing/Assembly

  1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat
  2. Working in batches, cook the sirloin slices 1 minute each side, remove to a plate tented with aluminum foil
  3. Arrange hoagie rolls on a plate
  4. Pile rolls high with the cooked sirloin - divide evenly between the rolls
  5. Evenly distribute peppers and onions over the top of each sandwich
  6. Add desired amount of pimento cheese to each
  7. Top with 2 or more Jalapeno Pale Ale Fried Green Tomatoes
  8. Top with fried egg
  9. Dash desired amount of Texas Pete on top