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I was hanging with the North American Barley Researchers Workshop participants this week at Oregon State University. Here are my recipes used in the Tuesday night banquet that I promised I would share. Bon Appetit! And Happy Trails to you all!

 

Bruschetta with Tomato, Bacon, Arugula, Hazelnut and Oregon Blue Topping

Paired with Rogue Ale’s Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale, and Tyee Winery 2008 Barrel Select Pinot Noir.

Makes 8 generous appetizers

8 (1/2-inch thick) slices good-quality crusty Italian-style bread

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

3 ripe medium-sized tomatoes, chopped and drained

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (see note below)

3 slices bacon, fried, drained, minced

1/4 cup fresh arugula, finely chopped

1/3 cup crushed roasted and skinned hazelnuts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1/2 cup crumbled Rogue’s Oregon Blue

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinegar reduction; see note below)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned one both side. Rub with the cut garlic.

About 10 minutes before serving, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, bacon, arugula, and hazelnuts in a small bowl. Toss gently and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

To serve: Spoon the mixture onto the grilled bread. Top each serving with a portion of the Gorgonzola, and then drizzle a bit of the balsamic vinegar. Place the slices onto a hot grill (or into a hot oven) and cook just until the blue cheese begins to melt and the bottom of the bread begins to toast. Serve immediately.

Note on balsamic vinegar reduction: To turn an average balsamic vinegar into a very rich and flavorful one, pour 2 cups of balsamic vinegar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion, 1 coarsely chopped clove of garlic, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and about 10 or 12 peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the mixture has reduced down to about 1/2 to 1/3 cup and is thickened and somewhat syrupy. Let the mixture cool and then strain through a fine sieve (be sure and press the onions and garlic with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze out all of the juicy balsamic vinegar). Store the reduction in a tightly closed jar. It will keep for months and months in the refrigerator! Use it to drizzle over tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, or to jazz up a vegetable saute or to drizzle over roasting vegetables. Deelish!

Beverage thoughts: Sure, there are a lot of flavors going on in this one little preparation, but they’re all headed down the same road by my estimation, which is a big and fruity southern Oregon Syrah. I’ve enjoyed numerous ones, including a luscious offering from Del Rio Vineyards, as well as Pheasant Court’s Rogue Valley Syrah, Spindrift Cellar’s Syrah, and Belle Vallee’s Rogue Valley Syrah.

In the beer world, you can’t go wrong with an amber ale that’s won 14 gold medals since its introduction in 1989. And that’s Full Sail’s Original Amber Ale, which brings a sweet, malty, medium-bodied experience to the table, along with a slightly spicy-floraly-hoppy finish. All of that stands up nicely to the blue cheese, tomato, bacon, hazelnut and arugula in this dish.

Barley Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Smokey Bacon

Makes5 cups, enough for about 6 to 8 servings (3/4 cup each)

4 ounces smoked bacon, thin sliced and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 cups pearled barley

1/3 cup dry white wine (such as Pinot gris or Pinot blanc)

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dried porcini mushroom pieces (see note)

3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesanio Reggiano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnishes: chopped parsley?

In large, heavy-bottomed pot, saute the bacon over medium heat until richly browned. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and reserve for later.

Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add the butter and the onions to the pan and saute over medium heat until the onions have softened and turned slightly golden.

Stir in the barley, wine, broth, and prepared mushrooms. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley has absorbed most of the liquid and is very tender. It should have a creamy character, but not "soupy," and definitely not overly dry. Just like risotto!

When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan, along with the reserved bacon pieces.

NOTE: I don’t reconstitute the dried mushrooms, but I do chop them before adding to the pot. I use a food processor and just run the motor in quick bursts so most of the pieces are about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in dimension...some can be smaller. But you want to avoid very large pieces so that the mushroom flavor is evenly distributed.,

　

Smokey Short Ribs Braised in Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale and Gingered Mirepoix with Balsamic Reduction

Paired with Rogue Ale’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale and Spindrift Cellars 2008 Syrah.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

In classic French cooking, a mirepoix is a trio of finely chopped vegetables: onion, carrot, and celery. In this recipe, the addition of garlic and fresh ginger root bring an even richer and more complex depth of flavor to the finished sauce.

Because short ribs are very fatty, I strongly suggest making this dish one day ahead to allow the fat time to settle at the top of the sauce for easy removal.

4 pounds meaty beef short ribs, bone in

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced (see note)

1 cup of chopped celery (see note)

1 cup of coarsely chopped carrot, (see note)

2 tablespoons peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger (see note)

4 to 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced (see note)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup Hazelnut Brown Nectar ale (Rogue ale)

1/4 cup black bean garlic sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 to 3 cups beef broth

Additional Hazelnut Brown Nectar as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　

Preheat oven to 330 degrees F.

Brown the short ribs in the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Turn each rib to brown on all sides. Remove the browned ribs and place them in a roasting pan. Add the finely minced (as described below in "note") onion, celery, carrot, ginger, and garlic, and continue cooking until the onion and garlic has softened.. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the balsamic vinegar and continue cooking to reduce the vinegar by half. Add the 1 cup of Hazelnut Brown Nectar ale, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and enough beef broth to make a generous amount of braising liquid (enough liquid to almost cover the ribs. Stir to combine the ingredients.

Pour the sauce over the ribs, cover and roast for 2 to 3 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Add additional Hazelnut Brown Nectar as needed.

Adjust seasonings, adding pepper and salt as needed.

NOTE: Mince all of the vegetables finely by cutting them into chunks, then mincing together in a food processor by using the on-off or "pulse" button.

　

　

　

　

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