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a bowl of cheddar ale soup on a wooden table with a glass of beer and a soft pretzel visible around it

5 O'clock Cheddar Ale Soup

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Servings 6 as a main dish

Ingredients
  

Vegetable Stock

  • 2 large carrots (185 g)
  • 1 medium yellow onion (160 g)
  • 2 large celery stalks (140 g)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 or 3 fresh parsley sprigs
  • 1 or 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 whole peppercorns
  • 7 cups water (1610 g)

Soup

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (110 g)
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion (140 g)
  • 1 cup diced carrot (140 g)
  • 1 1/4 cups diced celery (150 g)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (25 g)
  • Fine sea salt
  • 14 oz amber ale
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 g)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock (910 g)
  • 4 3/4 cups whole milk (1075 g)
  • 8 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (640 g)
  • 3 tsp Marash pepper flakes (15 g)
  • 1 tsp ground white pepper
  • 3 tsp sherry vinegar (15 g)

Instructions
 

Make the vegetable stock:

  • Cut the carrots, onion, and celery into large pieces. In a medium stockpot, add the vegetables, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and water.
  • Bring the stock to a boil, over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, partially covered, for one hour.
  • Strain the simmered stock through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the solids, and reserve 4 cups for the soup. You should have more than enough; any extra can be refrigerated or frozen for later use, but if you come up a little short, don't fret, just make up the difference with water.

Make the soup:

  • In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and a generous sprinkle of salt, and sauté until the vegetables are tender and onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown them.
  • Add the beer to the vegetables, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes to concentrate it.
  • In a separate, medium pot, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer.
  • Add the flour to the beer and vegetable mixture. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and starts to stick to the pot. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring as you do, and then bring the soup to a simmer.
  • Add the hot vegetable stock to the soup. If your stock cooked down below four cups, add water to get the needed amount.
  • Remove the pot form the heat and purée with an immersion blender.
  • Put the puréed soup back onto the stove over low to medium heat, and slowly add the grated cheese, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
  • Turn off the burner and stir in the Marash pepper, white pepper, and vinegar. Season with additional salt if needed.
  • Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Tip!
Marash pepper flakes, from Turkey, are deep red in color and irregular in shape. They give a distinctive earthy flavor with a touch of heat to this dish. They can often be found from specialty retailers online and sometimes in specialty food stores. If you can't find them, equally interesting and slightly different Aleppo or Urfa pepper flakes are good substitutes. If all else fails, substitute an equal amount of standard red pepper flakes available in most American grocery stores.