Thai Steak Salad & IPA

Thai Steak Salad
Servings - 2

Marinade
• ½ T garlic
• 2 t onion powder
• 1 dried lemon grass chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup of fresh mint
• 1/3 cup of lime juice (about 4 limes for me)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 t sweet chili sauce
• 3 T sugar/splenda
• 6-8 oz steak (I used sirloin)

Dressing
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T sweet chili sauce
• Dash sugar/Splenda
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash onion powder
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper

Salad
• 4 large handfuls of lettuce
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 T mint
• 1 T cilantro

1. In bowl, mix together garlic, onion powder, lemon grass, cilantro, mint, lime juice, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce and sugar. Add to ziplock bag with steak. Marinade at least 3 hours.
2. In small sauce pan combine dressing ingredients, and heat until combined
3. Grill steak, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare, let steak rest several minutes
4. Split lettuce between two plates
5. Top with cucumber, mint, cilantro, and dressing
6. Finally, slice and top with steak

This is a very flavorful salad and hearty enough for a main dish. Since this is so flavorful, you want a flavorful beer to stand up to it. I chose an IPA, Frye’s Leap IPA, made by Sebago Brewing Company out of Maine, where they have four locations. This has a big aroma and a big flavor. As with IPAs, there are a lot of hops, but balanced with caramel malts and grapefruit. The citrus here plays off well with the citrus of the steak marinade.

Mixed Greens Salad with bacon dressing & Double Dark Lager

Mixed Greens Salad with bacon dressing
Servings - 2

• 3 big handfuls of mixed greens
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 2 pieces of bacon, diced
• 2 Splashes of red wine vinegar
• 2 squirts Dijon mustard
• Pinch of sugar
• Dash of salt and pepper

1. Split mixed greens on two plates or bowls
2. Slice hard-boiled egg and split between two plates
3. In small sauce pan, sauté bacon, until crisp
4. Drain bacon and about half of drippings
5. Lower heat under sauce pan
6. To sauce pan, add red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt and pepper
7. Stir until incorporated and add bacon back
8. Pour bacon and dressing over greens and egg

I served this salad with schnitzel and spaetzle and it paired well with a German inspired dinner. Therefore, I would recommend a German inspired beer here. I recommend Moerlein’s Barbarossa Dark Lager. Christian Moerlein Brewing Company is out of Cincinnati, OH. This is between Munich-style dunkel and bock. It had a rich, medium bodied flavor and pairs well with the richness of the bacon.