For Those Cold Winter Nights (You Know, the 56 degree ones)

One of my biggest trepidations about moving to Pittsburgh was the cold, and since it hasn't been THAT cold, you would think I'd be happy, but no. I WANT SNOW!!  I EXPECTED snow! And snow DAYS!  But nothing.  Just mildly cold, very rainy weather.  Dumb.
While the weather hasn't been exactly wintery lately, I've decided to pretend it is while in my kitchen.  Last week I made Dutch Onion Potato Soup, and a loaf of Beer Bread to go with it.  It was perfect for those not-very-cold winter nights. The potato soup started out, as many of my experiments do, with an online recipe (Dutch Onion Potato Cheese Soup) that I enhanced to my own tastes and vegetarian diet. 

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. canola oil

3 c. sliced onions

¼ c. flour

8 c. vegetable broth

12 oz.  beer

4 c. diced potatoes

2 c. cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in a soup pot.  Saute the onions for about 10 minutes, until they are soft and golden brown.  Stir in the flour, and then add broth and beer (I used a honey wheat, but this would also probably be really good with a darker beer).  Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add the potatoes, and bring to a boil again.  Cover pot and cook for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Mash the potatoes in the broth.  Remove from heat and add cheese (I sliced mine into this strips, grating would be fine too), and salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of fresh-ground pepper).  Put on low heat and stir until the cheese melts.  Continue to stir occasionaly until ready to serve.

For the Beer Bread, I followed a recipe from Recipe Lion, and it turned out fabulously - a hearty, dark, flavorful bread that paired perfectly with the soup, and is also delicious smothered in butter and honey.

3 c. flour (I used a mix of white and whole wheat)

3 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 bottle room temperature beer

3 Tbs melted unsalted butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add the beer and stir for about 20 stokes, just until the flour is incorporated. (Try and not over-stir the batter.)  Pour into your prepared pan and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack before removing it from the pan.

Overall, a hearty, delicious meal, no matter the temperature outside!