Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup & Bread and Onion Soup

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup


Browning the chicken pieces before simmering them with the vegetables produces a rich, flavorful soup broth.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 lb., quartered
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
rounds
1 bunch celery, tops and bottoms trimmed, cut
into 1-inch chunks
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 lb. dried fettuccine, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add the onions, carrots, celery, chicken broth, water, bay leaf, thyme sprigs and coriander. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the meat is nearly falling off the bones, about 1 1/2 hours. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, transfer the chicken to a colander and let cool to the touch.

Meanwhile, in a large pot two-thirds full of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles in a colander and cool under cold running water; set aside.

Remove the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones, and cut the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Skim the fat from the broth and return the chicken to the pot along with the pasta, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed, stir in the parsley and serve immediately.
Serves 6.



Bread and Onion Soup


Ingredients:

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
5 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock or
canned broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 thick slices coarse country bread, preferably
day-old, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or
shredded fontina cheese
Directions:
In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté very slowly, stirring often, until caramelized, about 45 minutes. The onions must be sweet and golden but not brown. Stir in 2 Tbs. of the basil and cook for 5 minutes to flavor the onions. Add the water, cover and simmer until the onions are quite tender, about 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 350°F.

When the onion mixture is ready, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Place individual ovenproof bowls on 1 or 2 baking sheets and evenly divide the bread cubes among them. Top with the hot onion mixture and then the cheese.

Bake until the cheese melts and the soup is piping hot, 10 to 20 minutes. Garnish with the remaining 4 Tbs. basil and serve immediately.
Serves 6.

Oktoberfest

Staying gluten-free during Oktoberfest gotcha down? Have no fear – my gluten-free beer blog is here!

When I found out I was gluten-intolerant over a year ago, I was fairly devastated. Even though I knew I’d feel better going gluten-free, I immediately thought about all the things I’d miss – homemade pasta, flour tortillas, fresh bread, pancakes and waffles, cookies, muffins, cake. And beer. I love food and baking. And I love beer.

I love everything from Guinness to Fat Tire to New Castle to Corona to random Belgian beers I can’t pronounce. My husband brews his own and he got my dad into it, so I’m constantly surrounded by delicious, complex, refreshing home brews. And I can’t drink it. So what’s a girl to do? Find gluten-free beers, of course.

Estrella Daura


This is the only gluten-free beer my husband (the brewer, mind you) tried and said, “Huh, this is good, I’d totally drink this.” It won the “World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer” award two years in a row and with good reason. A great pilsner that’s light but with good flavor, it’s my favorite go-to if I want something consistent and refreshing.

Made by: Estrella Damm, Barcelona, Spain; alcohol content: 5.4%

New Grist


A close second in my mind to Daura, New Grist has a slight aftertaste of cider, without the sweetness. Another great pilsner-style beer, it seems to be a little easier to find than Daura, as it’s made here in the states.

Made by: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; alcohol content: 5.7%

St. Peter’s “G-Free™” Sorghum Beer


St. Peter’s produces excellent “regular” beers in their English brewery, but their sorghum beer is another great pilsner-style lager. A little sweeter than Daura and New Grist, it has hints of citrus, making it a great summer beer. And due to its low alcohol content, it can almost be considered a session beer. I especially love the bottle and the fact that it’s more than a full pint.

Made by: St. Peter’s Brewery, Suffolk, England; alcohol content: 4.2%

Bard’s


Founded by two celiacs, Bard’s Tale Beer only makes this gluten-free beer. The craft brewery claims they’ve made “America’s first gluten-free sorghum beer and the only beer brewed with 100% malted sorghum.” With a medium body and low bitterness, it has a beautiful caramel color and aftertaste of the same. Bard’s is easily one of my favorites so far.

Made by: Bard’s Tale Beer Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota; alcohol content: 4.6%

New Planet Tread Lightly Ale


Another completely gluten-free beer company, now brewing three varieties (including a delicious 3R Raspberry Ale I just enjoyed this weekend and the Off Grid Pale Ale I have yet to taste). Their Tread Lightly Ale is similar to Bard’s, but a little smoother.

Made by: New Planet Gluten Free Beer, Boulder, Colorado; alcohol content: 5%

Green’s Discovery Amber Ale


While Green’s also offers a lovely Dubbel Dark Ale and a fantastic Tripel Blonde Ale, the most commonly available is their Amber Ale. With a beautiful color appropriate for its name, Green’s has the most robust flavor in my mind and has been the easiest to find so far. Another bottle of more than a full pint, it also has the highest alcohol content.

Made by: Green’s Gluten Free Beers, Lochristi, Belgium; alcohol content 6%







La fiesta nació entonces con motivo del matrimonio entre el Príncipe Luis I de Baviera y Teresa de Sajonia y Hildburghausen, que culminó con una carrera de caballos.
La tradición se mantuvo pese a esas interrupciones, como también han pervivido hasta hoy las vestimentas específicas de las camareras, que, ataviadas con los trajes típicos bávaros, transportan con total normalidad hasta una decena de enormes jarras a un tiempo.





Lo que los alemanes llaman también "zumo de cebada" o "pan líquido" es uno de los productos más limpios, sometido a la estricta Ley de Pureza de la Cerveza, que data de 1516, la norma alimentaria más antigua en vigor y que exige que sólo se produzca con cebada, agua, malta y lúpulo.



Entre 8.70 y 9.20 euros cuesta este años en la "Wiesn" un "Mass", una jarra de un litro, la medida mínima que se sirve de cerveza "Helles" (clara), con una graduación que oscila entre los 5.7 y 6.3 grados de alcohol y que se guarda en barriles de madera de 100 o 50 litros.


La "Wiesn", como se apoda la Pradera de Santa Teresa o Theresienwiese donde se celebra la fiesta, estaba ya más que llena horas antes de que el socialdemócrata Ude encajara de dos certeros mazazos el grifo en el barril, al tradicional grito de "O'zapf is", ("está abierto").




Oktoberfest-Calender 2011







Die bayerische Brauordnung aus dem Jahre 1516 (siehe auch Reinheitsgebot) legte fest, dass nur zwischen Michaeli, dem Tag des Hl. Michael (29. September) und Georgi, dem Tag des Hl. Georg (23. April) gebraut werden durfte. In den fünf Monaten danach war es etwa den Münchner Bierbrauern verboten, Bier zu produzieren. Grund war die in den Sommermonaten erhöhte Brandgefahr beim Biersieden.


Im engeren Sinne ist Bier ein alkohol- und kohlensäurehaltiges Getränk, das durch Gärung meist aus den Grundzutaten Wasser, Malz und Hopfen gewonnen wird. Für ein kontrolliertes Auslösen des Gärvorganges wird meistens Hefe zugesetzt, selten auch Milchsäurebakterien. Weitere Zutaten sind Früchte, Kräuter wie Grut oder Gewürze. Der Alkoholgehalt von normalen Biersorten liegt in Deutschland und Österreich in der Regel zwischen 4,5 und 6 %.




Im weiteren Sinne versteht man unter Bier jedes alkoholhaltige Getränk, das auf Basis von verzuckerter Stärke hergestellt wurde, ohne dass dabei ein Destillationsverfahren angewandt wurde (Chicha). Die Abgrenzung zu Wein besteht darin, dass für Weine Zucker aus pflanzlichen (Fruchtzucker) oder tierischen Quellen (zum Beispiel Honig) vergoren werden, während der Ausgangsstoff für die Gärung bei Bier immer Stärke ist.



In der Regel wird der Zucker aus der Stärke von Getreide (Gerste, Roggen, Reis, Weizen, Mais) gewonnen, seltener wird Stärke aus Kartoffeln oder anderem Gemüse wie Erbsen herangezogen. Der japanische Sake, obwohl oft als „Reiswein“ bezeichnet, fällt daher ebenfalls unter die bierartigen Getränke.






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Die Wurzeln der Brauerei gehen bis in die frühe Neuzeit zurück. Im Jahr 1591 wurde im Testament des Grafen Eitel Friedrich von Hohenzollern-Hechingen erwähnt, dass die Mönche des Klosters St. Luzen bei Hechingen aufgrund ihrer Arbeit Bier haben konnten. 1608 lieferten diese Mönche erstmals Bier an den fürstlichen Hof. 1872 wurden die Bierbrauerei St. Luzen und die Stuttgarter Brauerei Englischer Garten unter dem Namen Württembergisch-Hohenzollersche Brauereigesellschaft vereinigt. Diese war ab 1883 offizieller Lieferant des württembergischen Königshofs, König Karl von Württemberg verlieh ihr den Titel „Hoflieferant“. Das Firmenzeichen zeigt deshalb das Wappen Württembergs. 1933 erfolgte die Umbenennung in Stuttgarter Hofbräu.


BoChef