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Basler Mehlsuppe
Basel Fasnacht flour soup with browned flour, onion and cheese
Basel's Fasnacht starts at 4 a.m. on the Monday after Ash Wednesday with Morgestraich, when the city's lights go out and the cliques march with lanterns, piccolos and drums. Afterwards everyone crowds into the old-town restaurants for a bowl of Mehlsuppe: flour toasted in butter until it is the colour of hazelnuts, simmered into a smooth, savoury, deep-brown soup and finished with grated cheese. It warms you on a freezing February morning and is usually eaten with Zwiebelwähe (onion tart). The traditional soup is made with beef stock; this vegetarian version uses a strong vegetable stock with a little red wine and onion to give the same depth. Chef's tip: toast the flour slowly and stir all the time; the colour should be even chestnut brown, and the smell like toasted nuts.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Melt 1 ¾ oz butter in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat. Add 2 ⅛ oz plain flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 12–15 minutes as it turns from pale to light brown to an even chestnut brown, smelling of toasted nuts.
15 minStep 2: Watch closely at the end: burning the flour is the mistake that ruins the soup, and black specks make it bitter. If it smells acrid, start again.
Step 3: Add 1 onion and stir for 2 minutes until softened.
2 minStep 4: Pour in ½ cup red wine; it will sizzle and steam. Stir until smooth, then whisk in 1.2 litres vegetable stock a ladle at a time so no lumps form.
3 minStep 5: Add 1 bay leaf and 1 whole clove and simmer gently over a low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the soup is velvety and coats the back of a spoon. Add a little water if it gets too thick.
35 minStep 6: Lift out the bay leaf and clove. Season with ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg.
Step 7: Ladle into bowls and scatter generously with 2 ⅞ oz Sbrinz or Gruyère cheese and 1 tbsp chives. Serve very hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does basler Mehlsuppe take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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