Year-End/New-Year/Random Roundup/Wrap-up

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How's that for use of slash marks?

The lovely Bryan Kolesar at BrewLounge is once again running a brew-round-up, in which he asks various beer types to opine about the current and future years. His own take is here. Part One of "others'" views is here.

Elsewhere in the net-o-sphere, the equally lovely Stan Hieronymus has added more thoughts on his views about "lists." Leave it to him to be, well, thoughtful. Lew is up to his usual, so you should take a gander. Why? Because I like him. (Not, mind you, that I know the guy. I just like his smarts, talent, and wit.)

The folks at All About Beer finally (as in finally) have their new website up and running, so that's another place to visit.

Jay Brooks, a guy whose interests range far, wide, and in between, has a marvelous post about Gregg Hinlicky's portraits of brewers. The image of Fritz Maytag is a marvel. (Full disclosure: Fritz and I are friends, and the portrait captures the man's spirit and intelligence.)

Reminder: only a few days left to submit your beer photos to the 2009 contest. Tim Beauchamp has a number of posts worth reading (he's a ranter after my own heart).

And if you've ever wondered "What ARE the dimensions of a stainless steel firkin?" --- wonder no more. Tom has the answer.

In the Kitchen: Minestrone

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"Minestrone" being a fancy, furrin word for "vegetable soup."

Every year about this time I make up a large pot of it. I portion it into containers and freeze it and then it's ready to during the year-end rush when we usually have family around. (This year the family doesn't get any: I'm stocking the freezer in preparation for the kitchen remodeling that will start the second week in January. Although "stuffing the freezer" is more like it; I'm filling every inch with enough food to last the three months with no kitchen.)

I don't know where I got this recipe. I think it orginally came from Gourmet magazine, but I'm not sure. In any case, I've been making this for about twenty years and it never fails to satisfy.

As always with a dish like this, the quantities and components are up to the cook. For example, I can't find good cannellini, and am too lazy to cook dried ones, so I used canned navy beans. I rarely remember to add the pesto (although it's a marvelous addition if you can remember). Etc.

At our house, this makes 12 servings, but we're old and eat small portions.

  • 1 c. chopped onion
  • 1 c. chopped carrot
  • 1 c. chopped celery
  • 1/2 c. chopped leek
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 T. butter
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • 8 c. beef stock
  • 35 oz. canned tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 c. diced potato
  • 2 cans navy or cannellini beans, drained
  • 1/2 c. peas
  • 2.5 c. zucchini, chopped
  • 2.5 c. green beans cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2.5 c. peeled, cubed eggplant
  • 2 c. mushrooms, sliced thick
  • 4 c. shredded cabbage
  • 2 c. shredded spinach (frozen is fine)
  • 1/2 c. small pasta (I usually use orzo)
  • 3 T. chopped parsley
  • 2 T. pesto
  • a piece of parmesan rind

You need a large pot; I use my stock pot. Heat the butter and olive oil and add the onion, carrot, celery, leek, and garlic. Cover with a piece of wax paper and then cover the pot and sweat the vegetables for ten minutes.

Remove the wax paper (please!) and add the stock, tomatoes and their juice, potato, beans, peas, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, peas, and mushrooms, as well as salt and pepper. If you don't have any pesto, toss in a handful of basil. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two hours (or whatever).

Stir in the cabbage, spinach, pesto, pasta, and cheese rind. Simmer another 30 or 40 minutes. Add the pesto and taste for salt and pepper.

Slice the bread, pour the wine. Be happy!

Catching Up On Some Beer-Related Matters

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This got right by me --- but this past week Pete Brown was named Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. To which I say: Congratulations, Mr. Brown!

Pete is an immensely gifted writer (note that I did not describe him as a "beer writer"; he transcends the genre). He's also an extraordinarily nice and generous human being. So --- Pete: here's to you.

Another matter that I lost track of (because right now I'm losing track of things right and left. If it doesn't involve the history of meat in America, my brain's not connecting ). Anyway: Alan McLeod is taking submissions for this year's Yule Beer Photo competition. You have one week to send your photos to him. Do it!

In Praise of: Chris Raines and the New "Public Intellectual"

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If you've read this blog for more than two minutes, you know that I'm all in favor of informed discussion and debate, which means I'm all in favor of what are usually dismissed as "scholars." You know: those pointy-head types who spend inordinate amounts of time studying a subject so that when they open their mouths to discuss their subject, what comes out is substance rather than fluff.

However, I adore scholars who then make the effort to share what they know with the rest of us. (The alternative being to remain closeted in their university offices, sharing knowledge only with other scholars.) People like that used to be called "public intellectuals," but I think of them as benefactors. Or saints, depending on my mood.

Anyway, that's why I'm a fan of Chris Raines. Chris is a professor in the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State. He's the model of a new kind of scholar: one who is not afraid of blogs, Twitter, and, gasp, making connections with ordinary people like me.

His blog, Meat Is Neat, epitomizes what scholars can (and, in my opinion, should) be doing with their expertise: sharing it in simple language that non-experts like me can understand. A prime example (no pun intended) is his recent entry on e-coli and grass-fed beef. If you have any interest in the current debate about food, food safety, and environmentalism, you should take a gander. (Hoof it over there? Paw through it?)

Chris is also a master of what Twitter can and should be. He's there as @iTweetMeat. Enjoy!

Why I Am Not Here

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Well, I'm here, but I'm not HERE, if you know what I mean.

I am researching the next chunk of the book. It's certainly the mid-section or perhaps the middle two-thirds, or whatever. In any case, I've moved the research into a new time period which means I'm trying to figure out "what happened" during that particular block of time (in this case roughly 1900-1940).

The only thing I know for sure is that my initial instinct, way back when, was correct: The Jungle didn't "cause" much of anything to happen. It was more of what we'd now call a tipping point than a cause; a straw (beefsteak? pot roast? rolled rump?) that broke the camel's back.

But even that moment (c. 1906) is clearly not the main event in the years from 1900-1920 and beyond. Not even close.

Anyway, it's all fascinating, but the most efficient way for me to deal with all this new information is to stay focused on it. Or, more accurately, to allow my brain to stay focused by not digressing into things like beer, random rants, pondering the nature of the cosmos and other distractions.

So that, dear readers, is why I'm not here ranting away. Soon as I get a good grip on this new material and actually start writing the next chapter(s), blogging will return to its usual pace. 'Cause I can research for hour and hours, but I can only write for a few hours at a time.