Steak and Ale Soup with Rosemary Croutons

You may have noticed...I love soup. There is no better dish in the winter. It simmers all day and makes your home warm and cozy and then it nourishes and warms your belly. It's definitely a comfort food.

This soup is easy but impressive, especially when served with homemade croutons. It's not really a traditional pub food, but it's more of a soup version of steak and ale pie.

What You'll Need:

Avocado Oil

Ribeye Steak - one large or two if you're going big

Salt and Pepper

4 Tablespoons flour

Yellow Onion (not sweet), diced

16 ounces White Mushrooms, sliced

6-8  cloves of Garlic, minced

Italian Seasoning or Steak Seasoning

Can of Ale - I used 'Sweater Weather' Ale

2 cartons of Beef Stock

Flat Leaf Parsley

Rosemary

Thyme (fresh is best)

For the croutons:

Baguette

Avocado or Olive Oil

Fresh Rosemary

Garlic Powder

What You'll Do:

Cube the steak and place in a bowl. Add 2 T of flour, generously salt and pepper it and stir to coat the pieces of meat.

In a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven, heat up 3 Tablespoons of Avocado Oil over Medium heat. Add the cubed ribeye and cook just until browned, leaving the steak rare, but browned. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pot and heat that up and then add the onion, cooking until it softens and starts to brown a little on some edges. Add the Mushrooms and cook for about 5 more minutes and then add the Garlic, cooking for another couple of minutes, but don't burn the garlic.

Pour in about half of the beer (Feel free to take a swig, Gordon Ramsey always says taste as you go) and deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining beer and a good sprinkling of the Italian or Steak seasoning and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to reduce a bit. 

Add 2 Tablespoons of flour and both cartons of Beef Stock. Bring back to simmer and add a fresh rosemary sprig, some sprigs of thyme, some chopped parsley and let it simmer. 

Keep simmering, adding some water if needed for 30 minutes minimum. Taste the broth and add more seasoning, salt and pepper as needed. One time when I made this, the herbs lent a slight bitter taste to the broth, so I added a squeeze of honey and it shaped right up. 

When you're getting close to serving, start the croutons.

Slice the baguette into inch thick slices and place on a baking sheet. You want these to be substantial croutons that mean business. Preheat the oven to 350 and brush the bread slices on both sides with olive or avocado oil. Sprinkle on some garlic powder and some finely chopped fresh rosemary. Don't go too heavy on the rosemary or it can get a little much. 

Pop those in the oven and cook until they start to brown around the edges.

When you are ready to serve, add the meat back into your soup pot and it will go from rare to medium rare (or whatever you choose) pretty quickly. 

Serve the soup garnished with chopped parsley and with a crouton floating on top. Enjoy your nice, warm soup belly.