53. BLUE CHEESE SOUP with BACON

makes 4-6 portions


6 tablespoons sweet butter
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 leek, white part only, well cleaned and finely sliced
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium-size potato, peeled and diced
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 lb. imported Roquefort or other blue cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 to 8 bacon strips, sauteed crisp and crumbled (garnish)

Melt the butter in a kettle. Add the onions, leek, celery, and carrots and cook, covered, over low heat until vegetables are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

Add the potato, white wine, and stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until very tender, about 20 minutes or so.

Remove soup from heat and crumble in 1/2 lb. of the cheese. Stir until cheese has melted into the soup, then pour the soup through a strainer, reserving the liquid. Transfer the solids to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or use a food mill fitted with a medium disc. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth.

Return the soup to the kettle, pour in the rest of the liquid, and set over medium heat. When soup is simmering, taste and correct seasoning; you may want to add a little more cheese, and the soup may need salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls, garnish with bacon crumbles, and serve immediately.


from: The Silver Palate Cookbook, by Julee Ross and Sheila Lukins. New York: Workman Publishing Company (708 Broadway, NYC 10003), 1982, pp. 61-62.