Beer, Brat and Cheese Soup

Today was a good soup day. It was cold and rainy.

I sat down and looked through my soup recipes and found an old favorite. The only thing I did differently this time was using kielbasa instead of brats (because that's what I had).

Brat, Beer and Cheese Soup
From Penzey’s

3 bratwurst sausages, cooked and sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 c. onion, finely chopped
1 c. celery, finely chopped
1 c. carrots, finely chopped
1/4 c. flour
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
6 c. chicken stock
1 beer (12oz)
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 c. milk or half and half
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook about 15 minutes or until tender, stirring every so often to keep from sticking. Stir in flour; cook about 1 minute. Add potatoes, stock and beer. I didn't have 6 cups of stock, so I used 4 cups stock, 1 cup white wine and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add mustard powder, garlic, salt, pepper and chipotle powder. Combine milk and worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Stir into the soup. Remove soup from heat. Add cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted and smooth. Remove 2 cups of vegetables with some liquid and puree in blender or food processor. Stir back into the soup to give it nice body. Return to low heat and add sliced, cooked bratwurst. Cook until sausage is warm; 5 minutes should do it.

I didn't puree the 2 cups of soup. I used an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until it was as chunky as I wanted it. I also had a lonely ear of corn in the ice box, so I cut the corn off the cob and threw it in when I added the sausage to the soup.