Beer and Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 150 gm bacon chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme finely chopped
- 1 bottle pilsner 300 ml
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 250 ml cream
- 100 gm flavoured cheddar onion and chive, grated
- 150 gm vintage/aged cheddar grated
- Salt to season
- Freshly milled black pepper to season
To serve:
- Garlic toasts
- 1 jalapeno finely sliced into discs
- Browned bacon
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the bacon pieces till browned. There is no need to add any extra oil as the fat of the bacon will render and crisp up the pieces. Remove and keep aside leaving the remaining oil in the pot.
- To the same pot, add the chopped onions, celery, jalapenos and thyme. Cook till softened which should take around 8 – 10 minutes.
- Once the veggies have softened, add the beer and cook till the liquid has been reduced by half; this will take you around 5-7 minutes.
- Then add the chicken stock and continue to simmer on low heat.
- In another pan, make the roux by melting the butter and whisking the flour into it. Whisk till the mixture has lightly browned and then add this to the stock and mix well to combine.
- Continue to cook till the stock has thickened and then add the grated cheese and cream.
- Cook for another 5 minutes and then add the bacon (reserve 2 tbsp for garnish); taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm with garlic toasts
Notes
I used pilsner, but you can use ale also.