Cheesy brew soup with bacon strudel

The richness of the three cheeses in this soup is balanced out with a little tabasco and dijon mustard. Served with bacon filo strudels, this is outstanding comfort food that will warm the soul.

Cheesy brew soup with BLT strudel. Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Three cheese brew soup

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1½ tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup finely diced red capsicum (bell pepper)
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded, finely diced, a few seeds reserved
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup Pilsner beer
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3-5 dashes Tabasco hot sauce
• 3 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup havarti or gouda cheese (see Note)
• 1 cup aged white cheddar
• 1 cup smoked gouda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

BLT Strudel

• 6 strips bacon, chopped
• 1 leek, top of greens removed, halved and sliced
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped sundried tomato in oil
• ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 6-8 sheets filo pastry (defrosted)
• 115 g (½ cup) butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. For the soup: Add strips of bacon to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high. Fry bacon until crispy. Reserve bacon fat in the pot and transfer crisp bacon to a cutting board and chop. Set aside.
3. Add diced celery, carrot, onions, capsicum, jalapēno pepper, and a few jalapēno seeds to the pot with reserved bacon fat and sauté ingredients for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add butter and melt in pan and add flour, stirring frequently to combine and brown flour. Gradually add chicken stock, stirring frequently. When the soup has started to thicken, add Pilsner beer, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco hot sauce and Dijon mustard, stirring to incorporate. Lower heat and add the three lots of cheese, stirring frequently until fully melted and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. For the strudel: Heat a skillet over medium-high, add chopped bacon strips and cook until it starts to crisp. Add sliced leeks, salt, and sauté until soft. Transfer cooked leeks and bacon to a small bowl. Add chopped Roma tomatoes and sundried tomatoes, to another bowl and stir to combine.
6. Working quickly with chilled filo pastry, lay one sheet out in front of you, brush melted butter over the bottom half; fold top half over buttered half; brush with melted butter; add 1-2 tbsp of the leek and bacon mixture to the centre of the buttered filo pastry; now add 1-2 tbsp tomato mixture; top with chopped crispy bacon and crumbled goat cheese; butter the edges of the pastry; roll the bottom up and over the contents; fold the sides of the pastry over the filling; butter the last edge and roll to complete; brush the top of the strudel with butter and place on baking sheet topped with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry sheets.
7. Bake seam side down for 8-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
8. Transfer to a cutting board and slice each strudel in half.
9. Ladle coup into serving bowls and top with chopped, crispy bacon. Serve alongside strudels for dunking.

 

Note

Spencer’s original recipe uses pepper jack cheese, which is not widely available in Australia. You could use Monterey jack, harvarti or gouda in this recipe instead.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.