Boerenkaas Soep (dutch Farmer's Cheese Soup)

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 tablespoons butter or 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, scraped & diced into 1/4 pieces
• 2 potatoes, diced into 1/4 pieces (1/2 lb)
• 1/2 lb cauliflower, trimmed & cut into florets
• 1/4 lb celeriac, peeled & diced into 1/4 pieces
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 slices lean bacon
• 4 slices white home style bread
• 4 ounces gouda cheese, sliced to 1/8-inch thick (wax removed)

Recipe

• 1 in a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat; add vegetables and sauté until onion is golden brown (5-7 minutes).
• 2 pour in the stock; bring to a boil over high heat.
• 3 partially cover pan, and lower heat.
• 4 simmer until vegetables are tender crisp (20 minutes).
• 5 in a heavy skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp around the edges, and most of the fat has cooked off.
• 6 transfer to paper towels to drain.
• 7 fry the bread in the bacon grease so that it is crisp and brown on both sides.
• 8 transfer to paper towels to drain.
• 9 preheat-broiler to its highest setting.
• 10 float the bacon on top of the soup, and top each slice with a piece of the fried bread.
• 11 arrange cheese slices over top, covering bread and surface of soup completely.
• 12 slide dutch oven into broiler so top is about 3 inches from heat source and broil until cheese melts and turns a light golden brown (2-3 minutes).