Monday 9 November 2009

Meat Free Monday - Carrot Soup & Welsh Rarebit

As Tennyson said "In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love". He could just as well have said "In the Autumn a young woman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of melted cheese" but he seems to have idealised skinny, consumptive women who didn't know how good fondue and raclette could be.

The weather has turned cold and nothing seems more appetising than a simple bowl of soup and cheese on toast. I decided that instead of doing a regular grilled cheese on toast, I'd make it a bit fancier and do a rarebit - it's George Gaston's fault, he did one recently that gave me such a craving!

This is a good Meat-Free Monday meal, but I am also going to send it over to Deb for her Souper Sundays round up!

Carrot & Leek Soup

2 leeks, washed and sliced finely (this was an excuse to use my new mandolin)
500g carrots, sliced finely
vegetable stock
butter

Melt the butter in a big saucepan, add the vegetables. When the leeks start to soften, cover with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the leeks have collapsed to a puree and the carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Welsh Rarebit

4 slices of good, sturdy bread
1tsp butter
1tsp flour
1/2 cup brown ale
grated cheese (I used a mixture of mature chedder and parmesan)
worcestershire sauce
cayenne pepper
Dijon mustard

In a small pan, make a roux of the butter and flour. When it starts to bubble, gradually add the ale, stirring constantly until you have a smooth sauce. When the sauce comes to the boil, gradually add the grated cheese, stirring constantly while it melts. How much you need is a matter for you and your cardiologist - I used about 150g. When the cheese is almost melted, taste and season with a splash of worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a teaspoonful of mustard.

Place the slices of bread in a shallow baking dish. Pour the hot, smooth cheese over the slices of bread, and put the baking dish under the grill for a couple of minutes (watching closely) until the cheese colours and bubbles.

18 comments:

Bettina Douglas said...

ooohhh the cheese makes my mouth water - and carrot soup is a great combination.

Heather S-G said...

Yum, yum, yum, yum! I love welsh rarebit this looks soooo nummy. And soup, too...of course! :)

HH said...

I have never had Welsh Rarebit - it looks delicious though!!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Mother - the soup is just an excuse for cheese.

Heather - I'm thinking it may be tonight's dinner too!

HH - crazy woman! You must. Get a good ale and drink the rest with it.

maybelle's mom said...

i love welsh rarebit.maybe next monday.

NKP said...

Ooh, I want to try that Welsh rarebit! Great meal - I does love my cheese!

George Gaston said...

I am so glad that I could inspire your Rarebit cravings. Yours look so delicious, I might have to make a batch. And your Carrot Soup sounds incredible... just the perfect dish for lunch this week. Many thanks...

Arlene Delloro said...

Oh, that last photo is dangerous! There's nothing like melted cheese to make me swoon.

Heather said...

i have never had rarebit, but i absolutely must!!! it looks AMAZING!

Alicia Foodycat said...

MM - it's good for kids too!

Natashya - do it! You won't regret it!

George - no, thank you!

Arlene - I know, melted cheese is the best!

Heather - it reminds me of your ale sauce!

hungryandfrozen said...

I love that the soup recipe has so few ingredients. Sounds delicious! If I had a cardiologist they would faint at the proportions of butter, cheese, etc that I can consume. I love Welsh rarebit - it's a genius combination of flavours. Enjoy your new mandolin!

Esi said...

I have had a welsh rarebit recipe saved for ages and I still haven't tried! This sounds all delicious. I love carrot soups.

Unknown said...

I yet have to try the welsh rare bit. You know in Greek-Orthodox culture Wednesdays and Fridays are usually meat free fasting days. Some people still keep that as part of a healthier lifestyle.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Laura - I do love the mandolin!

Esi - You really have to try it!

Johanna - I suppose it depends on what you eat on the meat-free days as to whether it is healthier or not.

kat said...

It totally looks like a comforting cold weather dish

Deb in Hawaii said...

Mmm...both the carrot & leek soup and the rarebit look good-the perfect combo. Thanks for sending it to Souper Sunday, it is in the round-up.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Kat - it really was. I think I need to get some ale in just for making rarebit!

Deb - thanks for hosting souper Sunday!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

As I promised...

This was terrific!!!

Come see what i did...

http://yearonthegrill.blogspot.com/2010/01/welsh-rarebit-restaurant-quality.html

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...