Ploughman’s Soup
(Serves 6-8)

A take-off on the ploughman's lunch served in taverns throughout the British Isles.

6 T butter
2 large onions (finely chopped)
1/2 C flour
4 C chicken broth
2 C light ale
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 C crumbled Cheddar or Cheshire cheese
salt & pepper

In a large pot, saute the onion in butter till tender. Stir in flour to make a roux (see sidebar). Slowly stir in chicken broth and ale.  Continue stirring and bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer till thickened. Add Worcestershire sauce. Gradually, add cheese, stirring until all is melted. Add salt and pepper.  Serve with salad and crackers or crusty bread.

Tips & Glossary: New England
Tips & Glossary: New England

Clotted Cream: a thick yellowish cream made from unpasturized cow's milk. You can make your own, although it's hard to find unpasturized cream in the U.S. Still, you'll find 3 recipes under our Devonshire Scones. All use pasturized cream; try to avoid "ultra" pasturized.

Ginger:  dried ground ginger is far more potent than freshly grated from the root.   Sweet dessert recipes call for ground powder.  If you wish to use freshly grated ginger, use 6 times the amount of ground called for in the recipe. 

Ploughman's Lunch: sounds romantic, like a peasant dish from medieval times, but it's a marketing gimmick from the 1970's! It's a popular lunch in Britain now: a piece of bread, hunk of cheese, with onion, gherkin, and an apple. Our Ploughman's Soup is a take-off on that name.

Roux: (“roo”), paste-like mixture of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. Used as a thickening agent for soups and all classic French sauces. Basic Roux: melt 1 part butter and add 1 part flour. Stir continuously till it becomes paste-like. Slowly add whatever liquid your recipe calls for.