The Loadshed Gouda Soup
The perfect autumn comfort soup for those lazy days. It is so delicious and comforting you will be going in for seconds. Yes it is cheesy, boozy and smoky, it is the best beer and gouda soup you will ever enjoy. Serve this soup with a delicious wood fire baked country loaf.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Immersion Blender or Blender
Ingredients
- 60 ml butter
- 4 leeks cleaned and chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 celery diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 60 ml all purpose flour
- 340 ml of lager or pale ale (The Loadshed Lager from Mountain Brewery)
- 1 liter of low sodium chicken broth
- good dash of Worcestershire sauce (Miss J.L. Halls Smokey Worcester Sauce)
- 1 tablespoon German mustard
- 250 ml full cream milk
- 250 ml cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 grams mature Ladismith cheddar grated
- 230 grams Ladismith Gouda grated
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Bushman's Smokey Jalapeño Hot Sauce
- Chives
- 200 g smoked bacon rashers
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into 2.5cm squares. Cook in a large dutch oven over medium-low heat, rotating occasionally. Remove and set aside once nice and crispy for the garnish. Leave about 2 Tablespoons of bacon "juice" in the pot. This will add flavour to your soup.
- In the same pot now add butter and allow for it to melt. Saute the leeks, carrots, celery, dried thyme, bay leaf until soft and lightly browned, roughly 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want a little heat, you can add a chili to this mixture.
- Make sure the veggies don't burn. Now add the garlic, pepper and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant. Continue to stir constantly. You don't want this to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Gradually sift the flour into the veggies, stirring constantly over medium heat, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the beer and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes until the the mirepoix is softened.
- Stir in the chicken broth. Using a spatula "clean" the bottom of the pot. You want all those flavours to work through the soup. Now add the Worcestershire sauce, German Mustard, and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow for it to simmer for 10 minutes.
- If using a hand heldblender you can now purée the soup until it is nice and smooth. Just remember to take it off the heat.
- If you don't have a handheld blender then remove the Dutch oven from the heat and allow the soup to cool down for about 5 minutes. Very carefully pour the hot liquid, into a blender. Cover with lid, but leave the center hole open to let steam escape. You don't want the mixture to explode due to the heat build up. As a safety precaution, cover the lid with an old towel and puree. Be careful the soup is hot and we don't want nasty accidents. Once the soup has all been pureed you can now pour the soup back into the Dutch oven.
- Turn the heat to a medium heat, and gradually whisk in the milk. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so it can thicken a little.
- Once again remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Allow for a 2 to 5 minute cool down session. Gradually stir in the cheese until the cheese is melted and the soup is silky smooth. Stir in the cream (I used creme fraiche but you can also add cream cheese) Add a good dash of hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If you feel that there is something missing - add a good pinch of grated nutmeg. It does magic!
- Garnish with the bacon pieces, chives, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve steaming hot with crusty bread.
Notes
I used Creme Fraiche instead of cream. I love the slight tartness it gave the soup. You can use sour cream, normal cream or even add cream cheese.
If you used chili add a few slices of pickled jalapeno as a garnish.
A little to thin - add more cheese. A little to thick - add a little more milk.
If you find your soup is to bitter you can add more cream, or chicken broth, a splash or two more Worcestershire Sauce.