Monday, October 24, 2011

Soup Week: Beer Cheese Soup

I am Soup-er excited to share all kinds of soup recipes with you this week! I've decided to dedicate this whole week to soups! Its autumn, its getting cooler, and there is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a warm fuzzy blanket and a steaming cup of soup! I've been on a soup making kick all week!  I tried some new soups, made some "old" soups, hopefully these recipes will inspire you to have your own soup week!
Today's recipe, Beer Cheese Soup!
Beer Cheese Soup
Adapted from A Fit and Spicy Life

Ingredients:
1.5 Cups Diced Carrots
1.5 Cups Diced Celery
1.5 Cups Diced Onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
3 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beer (I made this with Guinness and with a local dark brew. Guinness was the best in my opinion)
1/3 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
2 Cups whole milk
2 Cups Half and Half
6 Cups Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, stir carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. 
2. Add in hot sauce, salt and pepper. I never really measure salt and pepper. I just add a heavy dash and then add more as I go along, if necessary.
3. Pour in chicken broth and beer.
4. Simmer until vegetables are tender. About 10-14 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pot on medium high heat.
6. Stir in flour, and with a wire whisk stir until mixture is brown. About 3-4 minutes.
7. Gradually stir in milk and half and half, while stirring, to prevent scorching.  Allow to thicken.
8. Turn heat to low, add cheese.
9. Add vegetable mixture to cheese mixture and mix in Worcestershire sauce.
10. Bring to a simmer, cook for about 10 more minutes.
Some people like to top their beer cheese soup with popcorn, but I'm a good old oyster cracker kind of girl!

Another tip, I like to make big batches of soup and freeze them in these Ball Freezer Jars. They are safe in the microwave so you can defrost them in there, or let them thaw and then microwave. Each jar holds 2 8 ounce servings. Our freezer is stocked full of these babies!

Stay tuned for more soups in my Soup-er Soup Week!  Whats your favorite kind of soup?




5 comments:

  1. Does darker beer taste better? We usually only drink Coors, does it matter?

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    Replies
    1. I tried this recipe with Guiness and with Michelob Golden Light (since thats what I typically drink). The Mich Golden version was good, but I thought the Guiness version was more flavorful. However, if Coors is what you like, its worth a shot!

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  2. I just made this soup - phenomenal! I'm from Wisconsin and this was a perfect "taste of home".

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  3. I'm no expert at cooking, so I'm a little worried that I just missed something and am about to sound really dumb... but when do you add the half and half and worcestershire sauce?? I made this soup and it's still pretty darn good, but I just added them both in at the end because I didn't know what else to do! I feel like maybe the consistency was off a bit, but otherwise it was still good. Just curious as how I was supposed to use those two ingredients. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. WOW! Good call Laura! I didnt even realize my mistake. First up, I've updated the recipe. The half and half should have been mixed in with the milk, although adding it at the end was probably not a big deal. The Worcestershire is added near the end, that really didnt effect things. The milk was thickened though, so that was probably why your consistency was a little off. I didnt even realize my mistake when I wrote the recipe out. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I apologize for the confusion!

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