Goats Cheese & Onion Soup
It’s certainly the weather for a soup, but even if the sun is shining, this St Helens Farm goat cheese and onion soup will be welcomed by everyone! (Find there website here)
Creamy with soft onions and celery, it’s the St Helens Farm cheese and milk that gives it a unique flavour.
Serve this soup up with sprinkles of crispy bacon bits, fresh chopped spring onion and big chunks of crunchy bread, so none of this warming soup goes to waste.
The Dijon mustard and paprika additions brings out the qualities of the goat cheese letting all the flavours merge into a delightful bowl of comfort!
Go on, give it. go and enjoy your sweet life!
Thick and creamy with fabulous toppungs.
What You Need
350g Mature St Helens Farm Goats Cheese – Grated
500 – 600ml St Helens Farm Whole Goats Milk – See Tip Box
200 ml Boiling Water
100g St Helens Farm Butter – Cut into cubed
50g Plain Flour
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes
2 Large Onions – Peels and chopped into small pieces
2 Celery Sticks – Washed and chopped into small pieces
1 Large Leek – Washed, roots cut off and cut into small pieces.
6 Slices Streaky Bacon – Chopped into small pieces
2 Spring Onions – Sliced finely
2 Tbsp Oil for frying
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Salt – See Tip Box
1 Tsp Pepper – See Tip Box
Softened vegetables in St Helens Farm butter
How It’s Done
Prepare all the vegetables and place onto a plate ready to use.
Grate the cheese and place into a bowl ready to use.
Add the oil to a frying pan and fry the chopped bacon on medium heat until it becomes very crispy.
Once cooked, transfer the bacon to a plate covered with paper towel to drain and set it aside to cool until needed.
Place 50g of butter into a large saucepan.
Melt the butter and add the prepared onions, leeks, and celery sticks along with salt, pepper and paprika.
Stirring over a low heat, let the vegetables cook until they are soft and translucent – around 10 minutes – See Tip Box
While the vegetables are cooking, add the stock cubes to the boiled water and mix until dissolved. Set aside until needed
Place the goat milk into a saucepan and heat until just before boiling. Once hot, set aside until needed
Once the vegetables are soft, transfer them to a bowl until later.
Add the other 50g of butter to the same pot and melt over a low/medium heat.
Stir the flour into the melted butter until all the butter has been absorbed.
Keep the pan on the heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid it burning on the bottom of the pot. – See Tip Box
Let the flour cook for two minutes
Pour in the warm milk and warm stock to the pan and using a whisk, whisk until it becomes a smooth and thick sauce.
Once the milk and stock are added, Keep stirring until smooth and thick.
Add the grated cheese to the sauce and keep mixing until all the cheese has melted – Check the thickness and adjust with more liquid if you prefer your soup less thick - See Tip Box
Mix in the mustard then add some salt and pepper to suit your taste. – See Tip Box
Put the cooked onion mixture back into the soup and mix really well to combine everything.
Serve the soup warm with chunks of fresh bread, sprinkles of the crispy bacon and sliced fresh spring onions on the top
Serve with chunks of fresh bread
Tip Box
Milk – How much milk needed depends in how thick you like your soup. Adjust the thickness at the end
Cook the vegetables – Cooking the vegetables on a low heat enables them to hold their flavour while becoming soft. Cooking on a hight heat, letting them become brown, changes the flavour profile of the vegetables. So be patient.
Cooking the flour – Cooking the flour for at least 2 minutes activates the gluten and cooks out the flour taste making the end result smoother with a better flavour.
To suit your taste – Everyone likes more, or less, salt and pepper in their food. So, when adding the salt and pepper, add a pinch or two to begin with, more can always be added.
Add as much of the topping as you want
