Soup of the day: Potato cheddar Beer

I wake up every morning and listen to the local public radio station to get the weather and local goings on. this morning as I drank my coffee and got my morning update, I could hear the wind and the sea raging outside my window. Winter is definitely here and the gale warnings the gal on the radio predicted for this morning are proving to be true as we watch the waves crashing on the beach behind the bakery. It's a good day for this soup, but then, it always is, gale or not.

The secret is in the beer:

Potato Cheddar Beer Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

4 ribs of celery, roughly chopped 

1 bottle of beer

6 medium potatoes (i use red, with the skins on, but any kind will work) roughly chopped

6 cups of water or vegetable stock

salt to taste

8 ounces cream cheese

3 cups cheddar cheese- shredded

In the bottom of your soup pot, with a little oil, saute the onion and celery until translucent, even a little carmelized. Add the beer scraping up the brown bits off the bottom of pan. Cook 2 minutes to burn off alcohol. Add the potatoes, water and salt. Cook over medium high heat until potatoes are soft. drop in cream cheese and let sit 10 minutes to soften. Blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. Whisk in the cheddar while it is still hot. Serve immediately. If needed, reheat verry carefully. Garnish with shredded cheddar and chopped scallions. If your feeling really spicy top with chopped jalapenos. 

Serve with fresh bread and butter and...you guessed it, a nice cold beer!