In the world of beer pairings, people seldom think to include vegetarian fare on their menus. Swap the heavy meet pairings with this budget-friendly, easy to prepare, vegetarian meal that could even impress your parents.
[styled_box title=”Pumpkin, squash and carrot soup, topped with Gruyère cheese” color=”blue”]Paired with: Mad and Noisy’s “Sunny and Share Citrus Saison”
Ingredients:
1 small, fresh, pie pumpkin chopped and peeled OR 1–2 cans pumpkin purée
1–2 small acorn squashes chopped and peeled (you can use pepper or butternut as well)
2–3 large carrots
2 small yellow onions
5–6 cloves garlic
2–4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
¼ cup olive oil
4–6 cups vegetable broth (depending on the size of your batch)
2 tablespoons grated ginger root (more to taste)
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Black ground pepper (to taste)
Small block Gruyère cheese (to grate as topping)
Instructions:
Chop and peel your squash, pumpkin, and carrots (if using fresh) and set aside.
Chop up the onions and garlic.
Heat the butter and olive oil on medium heat, add the onions and garlic.
Cook until onions are translucent (5-10 minutes), add grated ginger.
Add pumpkin, squash, carrots, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth.
Simmer (low to mid-low heat) covered for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
Once cook, take an immersion blender and blend until smooth and consistent in texture.
Grate Gruyère cheese on top and serve.
Another well-balanced paring. The Gruyère compliments the sweet and citrus notes of the Sunny and Share. The pumpkin and squash mix well with the spice and citrus notes of the beer as well.
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