Groninger Mustard Soup with Bacon, Leeks & Carrots

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 Leeks, sliced thin and rinsed
• 2 Carrots, finely diced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp coarse Dutch or grainy mustard
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Crisp the bacon in a dry pot over medium heat, then lift it out and leave the fat.
2. Add the butter, Leeks, and Carrots and cook until soft and sweet, 8 minutes, without browning.
3. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes, then whisk in the broth a little at a time until smooth. Simmer 10 minutes.
4. Off the heat, stir in the cream and the mustard. Adding mustard away from the boil keeps it bright and sharp instead of dull and bitter — this is the one rule of this soup.
5. Season, ladle into bowls, and top with the crisp bacon and chives. Rye bread on the side.