Winter Meal

  A perfect meal for a snowy winter night. We found some fabulous leeks that lit the desire

Steak with Cabernet Shallot Reduction, Gluten Free Cornbread, Garlic Parmesan Spinach and Leek & Potato Soup

for my favorite winter soup, Leek and Potato, especially with a touch of bacon. We matched it with a fabulous gluten-free cornbread, a cabernet reduction for a petite steak, and garlic parmesan spinach. Yum.

Cheddar-Ale Soup

   This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma.  Along with making it GF, I added some potato to thicken it and tried to cut down on some of the fat.  But still it’s a very hearty soup perfect for a cold winter night. 

It turned out pretty well (hubby practically licked his bowl) so it’s a definite thumbs up.  We paired it with a Portuguese red.  Oddly it seems to go better with wine than beer, probably because the cheese makes it so rich.

Ingredients:

• 4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 3-inch strips or 7 regular strips.  (Definitely a plus, but the bacon can be skipped for kosher or halal) 
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 smallish carrots, peeled and diced very small
• 6 small potatoes, cubed small
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix) + 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup pale ale (Redbridge makes a good GF beer)
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (which has “natural flavoring,” so there could be trace stealth gluten — I’ll double-check with the company).
• 2 cups milk (I used 1% cows milk)
• 2 cups GF chicken broth
• 3/4 lb. sharp low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
• salt and white pepper, to taste (given the sodium content of most broths, and if you use salted butter, you won’t need much salt)
• Toasted croutons for garnish  (more below)

Directions:

In a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Discard all but 2 tbsp. of the fat in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then add onions, potatoes, garlic and celery seed and cook until the vegetables are softened, about another 10-12 minutes. Cover when not stirring.  Add the GF flour and cornstarch and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ale and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Worcestershire, milk and broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth if you have one, or transfer to a regular blender, puree and return to dutch oven. 

Set the pot over medium-low heat and add the cheese by the handful, stirring constantly; don’t allow the soup to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish with croutons and the bacon. Serve immediately. Serves 6 not very hungry people or 4 normal ones.

** For croutons, I used GF French bread previously frozen and set aside. (See the Great Sub Roll Hunt for more).   Thaw, cube, drizzle with olive oil and a bit of melted butter and toast in a  fry pan with italian seasoning, and onion and garlic powder if you wish, until crisped, 4-5 minutes.   The croutons make the soup.