Walt Wit | I Can Cook That

I love cooking with beer, I’ve used it a lot in past recipes — everything from Beer-Steamed Clams and Mussels to Pumpkin Spice Bread. So this new cookbook is right up my alley! The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour includes bar snacks, beer cocktails, and recipes that incorporate beer into the dish as well as almost 1,000 beer pairing suggestions for the recipes.

I was sent one of the recipes in the cookbook to test and share with you: Eggplant & Portobello Pasta. I used local witbier in the recipe but you can also use a slightly toasty Vienna Lager, mellow Golden Ale, or classic American Wheat Ale.

I also have a fun contest to share! In celebration of the release of John Schlimm’s new book, The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour, you can win a copy of the cookbook for your very own!

For a chance to win, try the recipe of the week (this Eggplant & Portobello Pasta I’m posting below) and take a photo of your dish.

Post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hastag #BeerLoversHH and tag me! (Facebook: I Can Cook That, Instagram: @icancookthat, Twitter: @icancookthat). Send them my way by Monday, September 8 for a chance to win!

Photos posted using the hashtag will also be compiled onto Sourcebooks’ Pinterest page and shared across Sourcebooks Media.

Pair with: Vienna Lager, Golden Ale, American Wheat Ale

Adapted from The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced into bite-size pieces
2 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (I used graffiti eggplant)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (16 oz) beer of your choice, preferably the same beer you’re pairing with the dish (I used Walt Wit)
1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 pound rotini pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Continue reading Eggplant & Portobello Pasta #BeerLoversHH

It is fitting that I am able to host this giveaway so close to my blog anniversary! One of my biggest inspirations for learning how to cook and starting a blog to document it was Cooking Light Magazine. My mom on a whim picked up a copy of the magazine while at the supermarket. As I paged through, I was surprised with how simple the recipes seemed to be and how absolutely delicious they all sounded. After cooking a couple of the recipes, I was hooked. Three years later, Cooking Light remains a huge inspiration as I continue to learn how to cook.

One of the best parts of learning to cook is being able to experience different cultures in your very own kitchen. America alone has a ton of different cooking styles with different areas and cities having signature dishes. Allison Fishman Task, a contributing editor of Cooking Light, traveled across America to discover native dishes across the nation. The lightened up versions can be found in Lighten Up. America! Favorite American Foods Made Guilt-Free. The cookbook tackles everything from fried green tomatoes to Philly cheesesteaks.

You can win a copy of this cookbook for your very own! Details after the recipe…

I am always in search of new seafood recipes so I gravitated towards the recipe for Beer Steamed Clams and Mussels. To Philadelphia-ize it, I used a local beer from Philly Brewing Company called Walt Wit.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
5 sprigs marjoram
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle Walt Wit (or another Belgian White)
the juice and zest of one orange, divided
10 clams (I used larger clams but I’d suggest using Littlenek)
24 mussels in shells, scrubbed and debearded
6 lemon wedges

Continue reading Beer Steamed Clams and Mussels