Cheese and Beer Soup – YES, Beer!!

Any guy’s dream, just add some beer.  Beer chicken, steak and guiness pie, beer marinade, beer basted snoek, and now… cheese and beer soup.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

15 ml Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 litre chicken stock

1 bottle ( 340 ml ) beer

1 cup grated mature Cheddar cheese

Generous piece of blue cheese ( optional )

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

Salt and pepper to taste (remember, cheese is salty so taste before you season)

Chives to garnish

Rye bread or fresh french loaf to serve

 METHOD:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, carrot and celery until soft.
• Stir in the flour, add the mustard and mix until smooth.
• Add the chicken stock and beer, stirring until the mixture comes to the boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
• Add the cheese and stir until melted.
• Season with Worcester sauce, salt and pepper.
• Do not allow the soup to come to the boil again.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chives. Serve with thin slices of  bread.

You can also garnish your soup with some crispy bacon bits or do it the tradition Wisconsin Native way and garnish with a hand full of popcorn – weird, but DELICIOUS!