Gouda Cheese

This recipe is adapted from the cheese soup served in Holland and on Viking River Cruises.

The Dutch are great at offering a hearty soup as their main dish. Maralyn and I, sometimes called the Cheese Queens, like to serve this for a simple Sunday night supper on chilly autumn evenings. We add a green salad or hunk of dark bread. Our team enjoys either white or red table wine with this delicious bowl of soup.

Ingredients:

1/4  cup vegtable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup carrots, cut into one half inch cubes
2 potatoes, cut into one half- inch cubes
4 cups chicken stock
4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced
5 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced
8 slices French style baguette
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Method – 4 servings

Heat oil in a sauce pan.
Add carrots and potato.
Sauté until soft.
Stir in chicken stock.
Heat butter in a skillet.
Add Canadian bacon and sauté until browned.
Add bacon and 3/4 of the cheese to soup.
Reduce heat to low and cover.
Gently simmer until tender (about 15 minutes).
Pour into deep individual flameproof bowls.
Top each portion with two bread slices and 1/4 of the cheese.
Broil until cheese bubbles…keep watching.
Serve at once.

Note: The original Dutch recipe calls  for 1 cup of diced cauliflower with the onion and carrots. I prefer my cheese soup as it is in this recipe, or with the addition of 1/2 cup of diced parsnips.
Either way you will love it. A great meal to serve to family or friends on football nights.

Brenda C. Hill
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
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