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Chässuppe
Bread and cheese soup
Chässuppe: Central Swiss soup of stale bread and mountain cheese simmered in broth, topped with fried onions
Chässuppe comes from the farmhouses of Central Switzerland, from Unterwalden to the Entlebuch, where it was a thrifty way to use up hard bread and the end of a wheel of cheese. It is a winter supper, especially on carnival and Advent evenings: bread and grated mountain cheese are soaked in hot broth and stirred into a thick, almost spoonable soup, then topped with butter-fried onions. Serve with a green salad and a mug of hot tea. Most Swiss mountain cheeses are made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian pot, choose a hard cheese labelled vegetarian with a nutty, Alpine-style flavour. The usual mistake is letting it boil once the cheese is in, which makes it stringy and oily. Chef's tip: soak the bread in the broth for 10 minutes before heating, so it melts into the soup instead of staying in lumps.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz stale white or brown breadcrusts on, torn into small pieces
- 4 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp chives (optional)snipped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz stale white or brown bread in a large pot, pour over the 4 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock and leave to soak for 10 minutes until completely soft.
10 minStep 3: Heat the soaked bread gently, beating with a whisk or wooden spoon, for 8 minutes until it breaks down into a thick, smooth soup.
8 minStep 4: Turn the heat to its lowest and stir in 7 oz Alpine-style hard cheese (vegetarian, made without animal rennet) a handful at a time until melted and creamy. Don't let it boil. Season with ½ tsp black pepper and 1 pinch ground nutmeg; it rarely needs salt.
4 minStep 5: Ladle into warm bowls, spoon the fried onions and their butter on top and scatter with 2 tbsp chives.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chässuppe take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of hot vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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