Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Brown Ale

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Servings – 2

·         ½ pound large shrimp – about 10-12 (deveined & peeled)

·         4 pieces turkey bacon (if you use regular bacon you will want to precook longer)

·         Garlic Powder

·         Spray olive oil

·         Skewers

1.       Precook turkey bacon in microwave for about 2 minutes.  This is a very key step, otherwise the bacon will be undercooked or you will overcook the shrimp

2.       Cook each bacon strip into thirds

3.       Spracy shrimp with olive oil

4.       Sprinkle with garlic powder

5.       Wrap shrimp with bacon and skewer

6.       Grill about 2 minutes, flip and grill 2 more minutes until shrimp is opaque

This is a very basic recipe and is a go to for me when I don’t know what to make.  I always have shrimp in the freezer and usually have some sort of bacon on hand.  I prefer turkey bacon over regular bacon for this recipe, one because its healthier, two because it’s a little less overwhelming to the shrimp and third it seems to crisp up better than regular bacon. I served with potatoes with garlic and corn with a little butter and cayenne.

I paired this with a brown ale.  Newcastle is probably one of the most well known brown ale’s, so this is likely a good reference for knowing a brown ale.  They are described as mild ale’s and are malty with light hops.  One of my favorite brown ale’s is a seasonal from Sierra Nevada called Tumbler Autumn brown ale.  I love Sierra Nevada and have used their beers in other pairings.  Their fall seasonal was amazing this year and you can likely still find it.  It’s a pretty popular beer and I have seen it on tap a lot this year.  It’s very mild, very drinkable and light sweetness balances well with the sweetness of the shrimp and the saltiness of the bacon.

Thai Peanut Chicken & IPA

Thai Peanut Chicken
Servings - 4

• 3 T soy sauce
• 3 T fish sauce
• 2 t hot pepper sauce
• 2 t red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T minced fresh ginger root
• 2 T onion powder or one large onion diced
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T peanut oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups broccoli
• 1/2 cup cashews

1. In a bag, mix together first 9 ingredients. Add chicken and marinade for at least one hour.
2. Pour chicken and sauce into pan and sauté until chicken is cooked through about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add peanut butter and broccoli
4. Cook until broccoli is cooked through and peanut butter is thoroughly blended
5. Top with cashews
6. Serve with rice.

The spiciness of this rich calls for a beer with a strong flavor for compliment and in order to not get lost in the strength of the dish. Choosing one my favorite beers here, another IPA. For this dish I chose Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. Sierra Nevada is a well known brewery out of California. This is a seasonal ale, usually out around Christmas time. It has a lot of hops, but a strong caramel maltiness as well. This does indeed taste like Christmas with a pine, floral finish.