old soup

while i was on my writing break i made some french onion soup that was ridiculous. and i thought i would share it. it's so easy too, it just takes a while.

when i made it i watched this video

but here is the recipe...

4 tbs butter cut into pieces

6 medium onions, thinly sliced - i used vidalia onions because they're sweet

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups water

14 1/2 oz of beef broth - a little under two cups

1/4 tsp dried thyme - i didn't have any so i skipped it

4 slices french bread -  i had ciabatta

4 oz guyere, grated - french swiss cheese, so you could use american swiss too

in a non stick pan melt butter over medium heat. add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until onions begin to caramelize - about 45 minutes. if you see that they're wilting but not turning brown turn up the heat a little bit. and yes it's a long time but you get to smell the delish smell of caramelizing sweet onions! 

reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes more.

it says to transfer onions to a dutch oven, but i don't have one so i put them in a bit pot. add 1/2 cup water to the pan and bring to boil to deglaze the sticky goodness on the bottom of the pan. 

--- side note. deglazing is a cool technique that you do when cooking something in a skillet or pan for a long time. while it's cooking some of it's deliciousness will get stuck to the bottom of the pan. you traditionally would add red wine to the pan or tomato juice - something acidic- to loosened the stuck on stuff. the french are good at what they do and i think it's great that they think ahead to the horrible dishes they'll have to scrub and instead just deglaze! 

add deglazing water to the onions. add remaining 1/3 cup of water, broth and thyme (or not) and bring to boil over high heat. reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 450 degrees. arrange bread slices on the rack to toast. 

pour soup  into four oven safe bowls. 

--i've never yearned for ceramic crocks more than at this moment. having nothing to use i used regular bowls. sigh. it doesn't look as great for the picture but it tastes just as good. if you have souflee dishes - bigger ones - you can use those, but seriously, bowls will work. good housekeeping says only certain bowls are oven safe. all bowls are unless they're wood, plastic or not pyrex glass, duh. 

arrange bowls on a sheet pan. place a piece of bread on top of each one and gently press it down into the soup. not all the way down but so it's steady. sprinkle the grated cheese generously over the bowls. put in the oven and bake until the cheese begins to brown. 

this makes 5 cups or 4 first course servings. 

i made it for soup night because it's raul's favorite soup. and i was really worried because my water-based soups had been turning out horribly lately. but this one, to toot my own horn (toot toot), was so good. 

enjoy.

love,

keighty