The Dutch are famous for great tasting soups. There is precisely a very popular one in the Groningen region that is a delicacy called Gorninger Mosterdsoep (Groningen mustard soup).
Ingredients:
• 1 cup of bacon (150 g)
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (kind of red onion)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter (50 g)
• 1 tablespoon Groninger grainy mustard (or other grainy mustard)
• 1 tablespoon Groninger mild mustard (or other mild mustard)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup sifted flour (50 g)
• 4 1/5 cups of chicken broth (1 liter)
• cream 1/2 cup of fresh cream or (100 ml)
• Salt and pepper
• TO DECORATE:
• Freshly cut chives, watercress or sautéed leeks
Preparation:
Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Let drain on kitchen paper. In a separate pot, sauté the shallot in the butter. Add the mustard and the seeds. Now add the flour and slowly pour into the stock to create a smooth emulsion (called a roux).
Let it cook for a minute or two. Now add the cream. Season and taste. Serve the soup in bowls or deep plates and garnish with the freshly cripsy bacon and chopped chives, watercress or the sauteed leeks.