Brat, Beer & Cheese Soup

Last weekend I tried a recipe I got from one of Mom's magazines. It came out delicious and here is a picture of it!!!!

Brat, Beer and Cheese Soup
3 bratwurst sausages, cooked and sliced

3 TB olive oil

1 cup onion, minced (about 2 medium onions)

1 cup celery, minced (about 4 large stalks)

1 cup carrots, sliced (about 3 medium carrots)

¼ cup flour

1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups chicken stock

1-12 oz can of beer

½ tsp regular mustard powder

½ tsp granulated garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ - ½ tsp chipotle pepper

½ cup milk (use half and half if you are feeling decadent)

¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups 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. Bring to a boil and cook 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add mustard powder, granulated garlic, salt, pepper and chipotle. Combine milk and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Stir into the soup. Remove soup from head. Add the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted and smooth. Remove 2 cups of vegetables with some liquid and add to a blender or food processor. Puree. Stir back into the soup to give it nice body. Return to low heat and add sliced, cooked bratwurst. Cook until bratwurst is warm; 5 minutes should do it.

NOTE: The only thing that I changed was I added more brats (it was a package of 6 so I added 5 instead of 3) and I did not have chipotle spice, so we used the smoky chipotle Tabasco sauce we had and it was delicious! I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I did use the cream!Yield: 12 (there were only 5 of us and there is just about a serving left over!)Source: Penzey's Catalog, http://www.penzeys.com/