Ale, cheddar, cauliflower soup to warm your bones!

Here in Brooklyn, there is a chill in the air, the leaves have mostly changed and fallen and people are hunkering down for the winter months to come. This can only mean one thing: it is prime soup making/eating time! On a chilly evening in late November, Judy and I gathered to make a very hearty soup that would sit in our bellies (and our hearts). Get ready for the magik of ale, cheddar, cauliflower soup! Judy describes this soup as "complex", which is a very apt description. You can distinctly taste each of the three main ingredients, but they hit you at different times. Talk about soup magik....We followed a recipe from Mark Bittman in the NY Times pretty closely, with just minor adjustments. As always, we made the vegetarian version of this soup, but there are optional meaty additions.

Here's what we did:

Time: 30 to 40 minutes

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces bacon, chopped, optional

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium celery rib, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and black pepper

1 small cauliflower, cored and chopped

2 12-ounce bottles Brooklyn Local 2, Westmalle Dubbel or another beer in the Belgian dark-abbey-ale style- we used Westmalle Trappist Ale, but we would recommend a lighter ale if you want a less bitter, beery taste

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon mustard- we used a spicy Polish mustard called Kosciusko mustard- yum!

Judy had so many different kinds of mustard to choose from- which one will do?

Kosciusko wins! Because it smells delicious !

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Chopped fresh cilantro or chives for garnish

1. Put the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When it melts, add the bacon (if you’re using it) and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and some salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. About 5 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower, beer, stock, bay leaf and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily; cover and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the mustard, and purée the soup with an immersion blender or semi-purée it with a potato masher. We used a hand-held immersion blender which was not only convenient, but also fun!

The magik ingredient: TONS OF CHEDDAR CHEESE:

3. Toss together the cheddar and cornstarch. Add the cheese mixture to the soup a handful at a time, stirring all the while, until it’s well incorporated and the soup is smooth. Serve hot, garnished with the herb. We served the soup with some toasted potato bread and just a taste of left-over beer! Bon soup apetit!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

* This soup ends up tasting strongly like the beer. If you aren't a big fan of the taste of beer, but are still interested in the soup, Judy and I strongly recommend that you use a lighter beer and less of it. Substitute stock for some of the beer.

Finished product!

Jude enjoys the fruits of our labors: