All souped up

I have a case of cabin fever, so I'm braving the semi-plowed roads today to stock up on provisions.  I'm in the mood for a hearty soup and since I can't decide between lobster corn chowder and cheesy beer and bratwurst soup, I'm going to make both over the next few days.  Soups fit my healthy, non-fussy style of cooking. I like the way you can make them and set them aside and they actually get better.  Plus, you can eat them for days.  
I've always been drawn to chowders...my bible is an old favorite, The Vegetarian Epicure.

I've made the Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder countless times over the years, and it's the foundation for many variations, including the one I'm going to make.  The common theme to most chowders is a base of sauteed onion in butter with flour added to make a thickening roux.  The liquid will be some combination of water and/or fish or chicken stock, depending on what kind of chowder you're making, plus milk and/or cream.  They are often flavored with dry white wines, sherry or vermouth, and fresh herbs. Potatoes are usually standard in most chowders, and a vegetarian version might include corn, and sharp cheese to finish it off.  A fish chowder is made from any firm white fish like cod or haddock, or shellfish like shrimp, crab or lobster.  
However, I'm going to start with the cheesy beer and bratwurst because I've never made it, and I've been wanting to try a beer and cheese soup for a while now (the German and Dutch segments of my DNA are egging me on). We saw it on lots of menus when we took the girls to look at colleges in New England, but it's just not something you see much of in California. 
I could get all of the ingredients at a regular supermarket, but  Philbrick's, our local whole foods type store,  has a large section of the meat counter devoted to homemade sausages, so I'll head over there. I'll pick up a loaf of bread at Ceres Street Bakery.  I'm hoping they baked Anadama today, my favorite with soups. 

time lapse          *          *          *            *          *           time lapse

My recipe comes from Plating Up, the blog of Maine Food and Lifestyle Magazine.  Since I've never made this before I'm following the recipe pretty closely:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
¼ cup all-purpose flour (I only used about 2 tbsp.)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
12 ounces beer
½ teaspoon mustard powder (Philbrick's didn't have this, so I'm using regular mustard...hope it works)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup half and half
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (I used 1 1/2 cups at most)
3 bratwurst sausages, sliced (I poached my sausage in beer, an extra step, but that's what I get for buying fancy uncooked sausage)

Place olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
Add potatoes, broth and beer. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add mustard, salt, pepper, half and half and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Remove pan from heat.
Add the cheese a little at a time, stirring until melted and smooth. Ladle out about 2 cups of vegetables with some of liquid and place in blender or food processor. Purée and stir back into Dutch oven with the rest of the soup set over low heat. (I omitted this step) Add sliced bratwurst and cook on low for 5 or 6 minutes or until hot.
I ended up with Oatmeal Molasses (day old and 1/2 price, I couldn't resist).  With the money I saved I splurged on fancy butter (yes, there is such a thing).

It's going to be a good dinner...