Shiner Bock and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Jalapenos

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onions, chopped ( about 1 cup)
• 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin ( about ½ cup)
• 3 celery stalks, chopped ( about 1 cup)
• 3 potatoes, about 1 ¼ pounds total, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 jalapeños, seeds and veins removed, minced
• Half of ⅓ cup whole-grain mustard
• ½ longneck bottle (6 ounces) Shiner Bock beer, or substitute another European-style dark bock beer
• 1 ¼ quarts vegetable stock, preferably homemade
• 1 ¾ cups (14 ounces) shredded Texas Cheddar cheese, such as Veldhuizen Family Farm's Redneck Cheddar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whipping cream

For Garlic Croutons:
• 2 cups ½-inch-square white bread cubes
• ¼ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoons finely minced garlic ( about 3 cloves)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. For soup: Heat the canola oil in a heavy-bottomed 6-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery,jalapenos.

2. Cook stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted and transparent, about 8 minutes.

3. Add the potato, mustard, beer, and vegetable stock.

4. Stir to blend well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft and have started to break apart.

5. Puree the soup in batches in a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Strain to remove big pieces if any.

6. Return soup to a clean pot and stir in the cheese.

7. Cook, stirring, just until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt. Do not allow the soup to boil once the cheese has been added.

8. Stir in the whipping cream and cook just to heat the cream through.

9. Set aside and keep warm while making the croutons.
10. For croutons: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil; set aside. Place the bread cubes in a medium-sized bowl.

11. In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine the butter, garlic, and salt over medium heat.

12. Cook to melt the butter and lightly brown the garlic, but take care not to burn it. You should just begin to get a nice garlic aroma from the pan. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Strain the butter through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down on the garlic to extract every drop of juice.

13. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, then toss rapidly to coat all bread cubes. Turn the buttered cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

14. Bake until the bread cubes are lightly brown and very crisp, about 15 minutes. Scatter the croutons on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely before using. To store the croutons for later use, place them, totally cooled, in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 days.

15. Serve the soup hot, topped with a good scattering of the croutons.

Notes

Copyright ©2013 Zesty South Indian Kitchen by Swathi( Ambujom Saraswathy) All Rights Reserved