I enjoy making soup and find that few people will turn soup away.
Of course, the trick is to match up the right soup with the right
people. A chilled cucumber soup would
not be something I’d serve to a mixed crowd during a sporting event. No. So
when the Super Bowl arrived, along with this recipe by email from Tasting Table, I knew I had to try it. I
pumped up nutrition (as much as one can in a soup that consists of beer and
cheese) and taste, by adding extra ingredients. We all enjoyed it very much. Here is my version.
Kräftig Beer Cheese Soup
Adapted from Tasting Table
1½ cups whole milk
2 cups low-sodium
chicken broth
2 tablespoons canola
oil
4 tablespoons
unsalted butter, divided
3 carrots, peeled
and finely chopped
3 celery stalks,
finely chopped
1 large yellow
onion, diced
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 dried bay leaf
¼ cup all-purpose
flour
1 cup Kräftig
Lager beer, room temperature
1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound sharp
cheddar, coarsely grated
¼ cup Parmigianino,
grated
¼ teaspoon kosher
salt
½ teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
3 slices bacon, fried
crisp and crumbled (for garnish)
Fennel sprig (for
garnish), optional
In a medium saucepan
set over medium heat, combine milk and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer; reduce
heat to low to keep the mixture warm.
In a soup pot set
over medium heat, add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Heat until butter is melted, and swirl with
the oil to incorporate the two. Add the
carrots, celery, onion, shallots, fennel, garlic and bay leaf. Cook, stirring
frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the
flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes.
Slowly pour in the
warm milk-broth mixture, whisking constantly to avoid forming lumps. Whisk in
the beer and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring
frequently and monitoring the heat so the soup simmers but doesn’t boil
(boiling causes the soup to separate). Remove the bay leaf and stir in the
Worcestershire sauce. While stirring constantly, gradually add the cheeses,
salt, and pepper.
Using an immersion
blender, blend soup to desired consistency.
I like my soup a little chunky, so didn’t continue to blend until it was
completely smooth. Control is the beauty
of the immersion blender.
Ladle the soup into
serving bowls and serve topped with the fennel tops and bacon.
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