Pencil&Spoon

Mark · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject: Onion Soup

On a cold winters day there is nothing better than a bowl of this warming and hearty soup!

Onions – 1 hand sized onion per person

Garlic - a big clove per person.

Stock – it could be beef, chicken or vegetable. I used a mixture of bouillon and beef stock

A sprinkle of caster sugar, a pinch of salt and a ground of pepper.

Butter and olive oil

Bread – I used a small stick of French bread, cut into thick rings

Cheese – Gruyere is the traditional one; I used parmesan. A strong cheddar would be good too.

The optional extras I used – a glug of brandy, a bay leaf, the leaves from one stem of fresh thyme.

Slice the onions thinly and sweat down on a low heat in a pan with some butter and some olive oil. Stir until they begin to soften, then add half a teaspoon of sugar per onion and about the same of salt (don’t add too much salt because the stock with provide much of the seasoning). Now just let the onions do their magic, oozing their caramelly sweetness and turning a golden colour. At this stage, probably about 20-30 minutes in, add the garlic and the little leaves of the thyme, plus a bay leaf. Again cooking for a few minutes. Next add a shot of brandy, this is a good amount per person to slosh in. Cook out the alcohol for a minute or two and then add the hot stock. Stir it all around, place a lid on it and leave it to bubble away on a very low heat until you want to eat it. I left mine for about 30-40 minutes.

Cut 2 chunky rounds of bread, dab them with a tiny amount of olive oil and rub with a clove of garlic. Add the cheese you are using on top of the crispy bread and wait for the soup. You can either toast them separately and bring them together in the bowl, or you can serve the soup, place the croutons on top and then grill so that all the cheese oozes down into the soup.