Cheese Soup

A couple of years ago, I was attending a seminar at Not-So-Local College and had the pleasure – and I’m not being sarcastic – of eating in the dining hall.  At the time, I was more than a little incredulous -I mean, really, the dining hall?!? – but I soldiered on and grabbed a tray.

I ended up at the soup-and-salad bar and poured myself a bowl of Canadian cheese soup*.  It was gorgeous, and in my ecstasy, I hunted down a man with a little chef’s hat and begged him for the recipe.  He came back with instructions for making gallons of the stuff, but this is no problem; I married an engineer – I made him do the math.

Start by dicing (or grating to near-invisibility, if that’s what your family requires) a medium-sized onion, and chopping up some carrots and celery.  I’m not particular about the measurements (and, to tell the truth, I almost never even have celery in the house, so that usually gets skipped altogether), but it usually works out to about a pound or so of vegetables.  Dump these in the bottom of a large stock pot and drop in a stick of butter.

Let the veggies cook in the butter over medium heat until they’re just starting to soften, then sprinkle over about 2/3 of a cup of all-purpose flour.  Stir that around until all the butter is absorbed and you’ve made a lumpy paste.  Let it cook for about five minutes or so – you want to cook out the raw taste in the flour – then pour over about three cups of chicken stock (you can use veggie stock if you prefer, but not beef, I think).  Using a whisk, stir the stuff until you can’t discern any more lumps of flour paste, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until the carrots are tender.  At this point, you can keep the soup simmering all day if you want.

Just before you’re ready to serve, stir in way more cheese than you think you need.  No, seriously; the recipe converted to two pounds of cheese.  My family is all about the extra sharp cheddar, but I bet you can use whatever cheese you want as long as it’ll melt well (I’d avoid the mozzarella, but if you like stringy, go for it).  Once the cheese is melted in, stir in 2-3 cups of half-and-half (I cut the half-and-half 50/50 with milk, but if you want to go full-boat, go for it!).   You can augment or garnish to your heart’s desire; the original recipe called for a green scallion garnish, but I’m the only one who likes scallions, so I just grind just a little black pepper over each bowl before I serve it and everyone’s happy.  I’m betting that you can sprinkle over a dash of cayenne pepper or drip in some Tabasco, you could add some diced potatoes to the simmering stage, you could sprinkle over some crispy bacon bits just before serving or drop some diced ham in the bottom of the bowl  – be creative!

This soup is fantastic all on its own.  I serve it in bowls with a side of buttered bread, and my family practically inhales it.  I do have to warn you that it doesn’t freeze well and is only marginally fridge-friendly, though; if you do reheat it (and we have; it’s not a total lost cause) make sure you give it a wicked stirring as it heats up because it tends to split when it cools (all that cheese reconstitutes).  If you’ve got leftovers, try to eat them the next day; this is one of the few recipes I love that doesn’t carry over very well.

YUM!

*I have no idea what’s so “Canadian” about this soup, but that’s what the recipe says, so that’s what I’m giving you.  Regardless of its nationality, it is just the thing for cold, snowy evenings…