Mellow Mushroom Beer Kitchen

Typically, when one thinks of Mellow Mushroom, they think of giant, freshly-made, gourmet pizzas. Little did I know, Mellow Mushroom has an extensive beer selection with two dozen specialty beers on tap and a hundred more in bottles. I have been trying to hone my beer-tasting palate, so I jumped on the opportunity to go to a four-course beer fusion dinner last Wednesday.

I met my friend Boomer, who helped promote the event, for Happy Hour at the downtown Mellow Mushroom. One of the perks of this restaurant is their beer club, in which members of said club are encouraged to drink every single beer they serve. (Not all at once – you will die.) After accomplishing this feat, members are rewarded with an engraved mug, their name on a plaque, and discounted beers – 20 oz. beers for the price of a 16oz. It may take me 6 years to complete this mission, but I figured I might as well start. Choosing from such a huge list is not easy – I can barely decide when I have 2 options.

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to choose the beers during dinner. Each course, prepared by Chef Mark Yoder, was accompanied with a different beer that was infused in the dish.

Course 1

Beer: La Chouffe Petite-Belgian light wheat

Dish: Crostini with goat cheese topped with marcona almonds, dates and a honey-beer reduction

This was, by far, my favorite course. Not only did I love the beer, but goat cheese + honey? Yesssssss. Perfect appetizer.

Course 2

Beer: St. Peters English Ale

Dish: Lasagna-with béchamel and sautéed mushroom filling. Mushrooms were deglazed with beer.

I am scared of mushrooms. Really scared. But I did try one tiny one and it was full of flavor. This was my first time trying béchamel sauce too.

Course 3

Beer: Highland Clawhammer-marzen style oktobefest

Dish: Beer-braised short rib, lentils, a potato cake, and collard greens. Greens were cooked down with beer and balsamic vin.

I am a huge sucker for lentils so I dug right in. The potato cake was essentially a Spanish tortilla, which is one of my favorite things to make (and eat!).

Course 4

Beer: Framboise Lambic

Dish: Pumpkin bread pudding-with Framboise and cinnamon whipped cream.

Yay for fall flavors. I was in love with the very fresh cinnamon whipped cream. Please admire all the beer glasses around my dish. Beer Heaven.

After all that food, Boomer declared that he had a food baby. He so obviously has not read this post where I describe my hatred for that term. Cringe. He’s cute enough to be forgiven.

For more information on Mellow Mushroom of Charleston, visit their

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What’s your favorite beer?

What’s your favorite beer-infused food?

Goat Cheese and Turkey Lasagna Infused with Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Things I crave:

• Italian food/men
• Pasta
• Tomato sauce -- why is this??
• Cheese

 Things I need:

• Lean proteins
• Carbs
• Veggies

What to make, what to make? How about Lasagna! I put my body's wants and needs together and created a fabulous recipe. I love this lasagna recipe for several reasons. Ingredients include:

• two lower-calorie cheeses (fat free ricotta and goat cheese)
• lots of lean protein from using extra lean ground turkey breast
• 1/2 the amount of pasta used in a typical lasagna recipe
• colorful veggies with lots of fiber and vitamins

Goat Cheese and Turkey Lasagna Infused with Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lbs of extra lean ground turkey breast

2 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 32 oz container of fat free ricotta (I used Sorrento)

5 oz goat cheese, separated (I used Whole Foods' 365 brand)

2 jars of tomato sauce (I used 1 Classico Four Cheese and 1 Classico Roasted Garlic)

1/2 box of Barilla oven ready lasagna (8 pieces)

2 large eggs

1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper

fig balsamic vinegar

fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey breast and cook thoroughly. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add zucchini, squash, crushed red pepper, and 1-2 tbsp of fig balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook until veggies have softened. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 4 oz goat cheese, eggs, and a few fresh basil leaves. Mix until smooth. Eat some.

4. Preheat oven to 375*. Begin lasagna assembly: In a 9x13 glass baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce. Place 4 pieces of lasagna over the sauce. Top the pasta with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Lay 1/2 of the veggies on top of the cheese. Add 1/2 of the turkey meat. Toss 2 tbsp of fig balsamic onto the meat. Repeat with 1 1/2 cups of sauce, remaining 4 pieces of lasagna, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, remaining 1/2 of the veggies, remaining 1/2 of the meat, and 2 more tbsp of fig balsamic. Finish off the lasagna with the remaining sauce, remaining 1/3 cheese mixture, and crumble the remaining 1 oz of goat cheese on top. 

5. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Here are some pictures of the assembly. Adding the cheese was a lot of fun...

 

...and messy, how I like it:

Topping it with veggies, anal-retentive style:

CHEESE!! 

 

 Perfectly browned after baking:

This is what it looks like when you let a man photograph you while he makes wonky faces:

This is what it looks like when you whine to him that all your readers don't want to see your fugly face and flinstone feet. Much better!

Notes about the recipe:

• The fig balsamic is what makes this recipe special. It adds a burst of sweetness that compliments the tangy goat cheese and sweet ricotta. Add extra crushed red pepper for spice.
• Because you are using half the amount of pasta, you're saving on carbs and your meal contains more of the protein and vegetables. Score!
• Use any veggies you like - make it colorful!
• This lasagna is more ooey gooey than structured. Forget all that layering you worked so hard on and just plop it on the plate!

My serving looked like the most delicious collapsed lasagna ever:

Nutritional Information for 1/8th lasagna:

Here are two similar recipes I have made:

• Cheesy Ground Turkey & Vegetable Pasta
• Lasagna Soup

I'm sure you all were wondering how my Saturday night drinking went. I drank 1 Sapporo at the restaurant and 1 1/2 glasses of wine at home. Then this happened. I now have the tolerance of a teenager. YEAH!

Ok, that picture is fake. I posed. I mean really, do you think I sleep with 2 laptops, a glass of wine, and my Blackberry?