Oktoberfest Dinner & Brew Cruise on MI Princess

Once, on a charter fishing boat in Costa Rica, my guide observed of me, "He drink beer, he go to sleep. He wake up, he drink more beer!", and he was right--put it on my luggage. I also like to eat tacos, and I ate a lot of them on that trip. Pork, carne asada, chicken, chorizo, whatever you've got...add some warm corn shells, beans & rice, fresh cilantro, a lime wedge, and a few cold beers and there aren't many things better. The more South American and Carribean food I eat, the more I fall in love with the techniuque of "braising", which is initially searing meat at a high temperature then letting it slowly cook in a covered pot with a variable amount of moisture.

With harvest season now officially passed, it is time to start either canning or using the last round of potatoes, onions, and other subterranean vegetables from the garden. It is no secret that all these kinds of produce are great in soups and other comfort foods. The short, cold days of late autumn can be taxing on a person's disposition, and nothing warms the belly & soul like a rich pot of soup. The world of soup is virtually infinite but one of my favorites, especially this time of year, is potato leek soup. We all know plenty about potatoes but the leek may remain a bit mysterious to some--Allium ampeloprasum is in the same family as onions and garlic but grows in a long sheath rather than a tight bulb like its cousins. Leeks are an extremely hardy plant preferring sandy soil and can grow rather tall. When harvested for use, the long green stalks must be removed and the white cylinder at the bottom should be sliced lengthwise and cleaned thoroughly, as the way it grows allows for a significant amount of dirt and sand to collect there (here is a short video showing how to clean and prep them).