Porter Stew

As we descend into chilly autumnal evenings, nothing is better than coming home to a big bowl of hearty beef stew. Porter is a wonderful ingredient to use in stews, as it adds a gorgeous depth of flavour that really marries in well with beef. It also adds a sweetness that isn’t overpowering and there is no better porter to use than Andwell Brewing Co; rich and dark with notes of vanilla and coffee it makes the gravy absolutely lipsmacking.

Stew cannot be rushed. You need at least three hours. But what a wonderful way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. It also keeps well for 3 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Ingredients

olive oil

2 brown onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced

4 carrots, diced

500g stewing beef, cut into chunks

bottle of Andwell Porter

300ml chicken stock

sprig rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Splash some olive oil into a pan and add the onions and garlic. Sweat down for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

2. In a separate frying pan, sauté the carrots and mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked through. Take off the heat and set aside.

3. Add the diced beef to the pot you cooked the onions in and add a splash of olive oil. Brown the meat to seal in the juices. When the meat is coloured add about 1/3 bottle of the Andwell Porter. Season well with salt and pepper.

4. Stir through and add 150ml of chicken stock to add more depth of flavour. Reduce the mixture by about half.

5. Add the vegetables you’ve set aside to the beef and another 1/3 of a bottle of the Porter and another 150ml of chicken stock. Sprinkle in the rosemary and stir thoroughly.

6. Preheat the oven 130°C.

7. Reduce again by about half and then place in the oven and cook for three or so hours. The meat needs to break down and become tender, so time is key here.

8. Serve with potato mash or dumplings.

Bellerose and Duck

Duck is something people rather adore when they dine out, but somehow it gets a little neglected in the domestic kitchen. For under £10, you can buy a champion Donald or Daffy that will easily feed four people.They key to delicious duck is rendering the fat. If roasting, this will ooze out and collect in the tray – you can scoop it into a bowl and refrigerate to use next time you want crispy duck-fat potatoes. If pan frying, the same thing will happen; the clear fat will seep out and you can collect it for later. It’s imperative to render the fat, otherwise you’ll be biting in to a flabby, soggy, yucky duck. Quack, quack, no.

Duck is rather versatile and is popular in both classic French, and Chinese cuisine, so it lends itself to a variety of flavours. Our little duck was treated to a dry spice rub helped by my splurge at a Chinatown supermarket. The rub involved a mix of ginger, Szechuan peppers (the tingle is somewhat of a sensation on your tongue), dried chilli and salt.

Roast in the oven at 180 degrees until the skin is golden and the flesh cooked through (roughly 1 hour and a half, depending on the size of your duck).

Rustle up some veg of your choice; whatever you’ve got lying around, or whatever looks good and is in season – buying produce which is in season is paramount. Buy fresh and buy local wherever possible.

Matched with this quacking dish is the gorgeous Bellerose full-bodied blonde ale, dry hoped with American hops; its grapefruit zing and notes of lychee cut through the richness of the duck and work beautifully with the heat and spice.

Nene Valley Brewery Tap Takeover

Last night the The Three Johns played host to the Nene Valley Brewery Tap Takeover. Having been in operation for two and a half years, Nene Valley Brewery has already won a host of awards, including overall champion beer at the 2014 Peterborough Beer Festival.

With a diverse range of great craft beers to try, all with dynamic branding and fun names, the crowd was also wowed by the stunning beer and cheese combinations our beer sommelier, Philip Harding put together for the night.

Some of the standout pairings of the evening included a gorgeous, creamy Capricorn goats cheese paired with the Australian Pale Ale – notes of subtle floral and tropical fruits to cut through the creaminess – and a bold Stilton paired with the Bible Black Lavish Chocolate Porter. Blue and porter are simply a match made in heaven. The rich malt of the porter balances the zing of the cheese.

Wine is not cheese’s best friend, beer is, and the sooner you realise this, the happier you’ll be.

Dick Simpson of Nene Valley Brewery says a few words to the thirsty crowd

The Nene Valley Brewery team and the Boutique Bar Brands team

Wahleeah

Tuesday evening saw the press night at newly opened beer and food hotspot, Wahleeah. With a stylish green and copper interior, evoking old-school New York subway carriages, Wahleeah stocks fifty of the world’s best craft beers (all handpicked by our very own Philip Harding) and there is something on the menu to suit everyone’s palate.Dave Ahern, the chef behind the innovative menu at Wahleeah wanted to create dishes that all utilise beer as an ingredient in some way. In collaboration with Harding, a matching beer was chosen for each dish to not only enhance the overall taste of the food, but to also highlight qualities of each beer. Ahern gave us a cooking demonstration, showing how simply a beautiful beer can add richness and flavour to your food.Food and wine pairing has been done for years, but the philosophy of Ahern is, that although enjoyable to share a bottle of wine over dinner with friends, the beauty of matching a beer to your food, is that for the same price per glass you are getting so much more craftsmanship.All the beers at Wahleeah are made by terrific craft breweries that pride themselves on using the finest ingredients as well as taking the time to ensure each beer has been developed with care and love. Craft beers are not about high turnover and pace, which can sometimes be a downfall of buying anything mass-produced.As a beer sommelier with fifteen years of experience in the drinks industry, Harding talked the crowd through how to understand beer and what to look for when trying to match it with food.  Understanding beer is not about verbosity and sprouting quips like “with notes of dark chocolate, ripening apricots and a whisper of regret” – it’s about understanding how to maximise the enjoyment of your drink. By learning key factors about certain styles of beer, the audience was well-equipped by the end of the night to understand how to approach beer and food matching, and why it’s such a wonderful way to eat and drink.Ahern’s menu not only reflects the great range of beers available at Wahleeah, but showcases a variety of house-made produce. Wahleeah produces a variety of ingredients including its own cheeses, as well as its own flour for bread. A tremendous amount of skill and passion is reflected in Ahern’s fare and it is wonderful to see the realisation of his vision for a venue that takes beer and food pairing to the next level.Crowd favourites from the menu included the Wahleeah take on a caesar salad: chargrilled baby gem, Berkswell cheese, crutons and IPA caesar dressing. This plate was matched with the gorgeous Founders Pale Ale. The musky zing of the beer and the rich dressing worked a treat. Chicken Meatballs with Mushroom Mash and Beer Gravy was a super way to taste Blegian beer, St Stefanus, at work within a dish, brought to life even more with every sip you drank. The Oxtail and Onions in stout with horseradish toast was also a popular course. Beauitfully soft flakes of flesh paired with the full-bodied Black Cab from Fullers would make anyone fall in love with just how well food and beer can go together. Don’t fear if you’re a newbie at the food and beer game. The staff at Wahleeah are more than happy to talk and taste you through the beers. So our suggestion is, grab some mates and make a night of it as there is no other place in London with this many amazing craft beers in the one place.

The BBB team – Charlie Pountney, Don Parkin and Philip Harding