Hall in the Kitchen: beer

These are crazy times.

Covid 19 has impacted pretty much everyone and everything on the planet, including how we work, play, shop and eat.
I have asthma and the thought of getting this virus has me pretty freaked out. I have pretty much gone to buying everything exclusively online and as a result have discovered some local businesses I didn't know existed. I will be continuing to buy from them when this all over.
Now it is more important than ever to shop local and support London and Ontario so these places can stay in business.
First up is wine cider and beer. I have no desire to stand in line at the local LCBO. I searched for places online that deliver straight to your home and not the post office . First place we ordered from is Shiny Apple/Small Talk Vineyards. They delivered a case of 24 cider and 2 bottles of wine within a week to the doorstep. I love their 2017-Burning-Ambition-Gewurztraminer-Riesling! Will be reordering soon for sure!
Next up the well known Peller Estates. Again straight to the door within a week. They carry Wayne Gretzky wines, beers and whiskey. His 99 Lager tastes just like Stella Artois! I'm now a big fan!
Flour has become a hot commodity around the country as everyone has begun baking bread.
I came across this little local company called On the move organics. This company runs out of London Ontario's old east village . You can get pretty much everything from them from vegetables and fruit to flour. They sell meat, dairy and London brewing beers as well. I sourced some local flour from Arva Flour Mill through them as well as some beautiful huge heads of garlic. We are now huge fans of this bread recipe. I may never buy bread again! Thankyou Michael Smith!

Finally I found this subscription based meat company called Niku Farms. They deliver a custom built box of meat to your door once a month. They offer grass fed organic bison, beef, chicken, lamb and pork. We have had the duck breast, brisket and skirt steak so far and was amazing! I plan on posting recipes shortly.
The meat is far beyond the quality of grocery store meat and all comes from local farms in the area.

I'm continuing to find more and more local businesses that deliver. Don't forget to support your local restaurants and order takeout for a break from the kitchen too!

In every bad situation we have to find some good and for me finding these little gems has hepled make a bad situation a bit better.

Stay Safe 😷

Cheers!

I love trying different cuts of meat. Two of my favorites now are oxtail and beef short ribs

I find both much cheaper and easier to find in Asian food markets. I was lucky to score a large package of short ribs for four dollars on the weekend. When cheap cuts of beef on the bone are braised for hours in the oven submerged in liquid the result is fall off the bone melt in your mouth meat.

St. Patrick’s Day fare is often hearty fare like braised meats and potatoes paired with dark ales and stouts. Perfect for the blustery March weather.

This dish is now one of my favorites and combines all the above components for a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Ale and Molasses Oven Short Ribs

2 ½ lbs beef short ribs

oil

2 cups chopped onions

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried sage

½ can of tomato paste

2 tbsp molasses

I can of dark beer (I used a coffee infused one)

1 cup beef stock