Chicken and Cheese soup with paprika and chilli

Chicken and Cheese Soup – A Winter Warmer

Written on December 11, 2011 at 3:36 pm, by Joss

Well, the UK, and Scotland in particular, have seen temperatures fall and winds rise this last week; enough so that even I have a touch of sympathy for those who thinks salad should only be eaten when it is 25º or so. So, for those who are feeling chilly, I have put together a very simple, warming soup made from Chicken Stock, veg and laced with good cheddar cheese (so, definitely NOT Cathedral City!) and some chilli powder.

It takes very little time to make and all the ingredients are straight out of your local shop. So, here goes:

Recipe: Chicken and Cheese Soup

Summary: Vegetables simmered in chicken stock, blended and flavoured with cheese and chili – don’t worry, it is not hot!

Ingredients

2 Leeks
4 carrots
2 cloves garlic
4 medium potatoes
1.5 litres strong stock (fresh or bought)
2 sticks celery
150g Good cheddar
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter

Instructions

In a large saucepan melt the butter and oil together.
Chop the leaks and the garlic and gently fry till very soft, but not brown.
Add chopped potato, carrots and celery and fry gently till the celery is soft.
Add the stock and simmer till the potatoes and carrots are cooked through. The actual amount of stock you use will depend on how strong you want this and how thick you want it. A lot of scope for variety here.
Do not season at this stage!
Take off the heat and let cool for just a few minutes. Then blend in batches in a blender till smooth – for safety, start at a slow speed!
Return to the saucepan and add the cheese, grated. Heat slowly, stirring constantly till the cheese is thoroughly melted.
Taste for seasoning – the chances are that with the stock and the cheese it will not require additional salt.
Add paprika and chilli powder to taste.
Serve it in lowls as it is probably too thick for cups.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6