I made this the other night
for the first time in ages.
It is SOOO good AND easy!
I wanted to post it before the
warm days of spring hit too hard.
There is nothing like good soup
on a cool day.
There are tons of
recipes out there for
French Onion Soup
but this is my own recipe.
Most of them call for
wine added to the mix
somewhere along the line.
I don't drink because
of a reaction I have to alcohol.
MyHero doesn't drink
either - well, just because
he doesn't.
So...
What to do for good
FLAVOR?
Well, ma'am, I
CARAMELIZE
the onions.
This is the simplest recipe
you will EVER make.
I promise.
Take 3 or 4
large yellow onions..
Vidalias if you can find them.
Slice into rings about
1/4 inch thick..or thicker...
or thinner...doesn't matter.
Put them in a large, heavy
saucepan placed over
barely medium heat.
Throw the onions in there
with about 1/2 cup melted
REAL BUTTER
Stir onions until they are
coated with butter.
Place a tightly fitted lid on top.
Stir a few times till they are
heated a bit.
Turn the burner down to your
lowest setting.
Walk away.
Come back in a half hour or so
and stir them down.
Check them every ten minutes or so
and when they are
transparent let them continue
cooking until they start
turning a pale golden brown.
Remove the cover~
Then start stirring them
more often so
that they don't burn.
When they are a wonderful
medium golden brown
pour in a large container
of Swanson's Beef Broth.
(32 oz or so)
Add 1 tsp. garlic powder (not salt).
This time I used about
1 teaspoon of minced garlic from the jar
(the kind in oil in the produce dept here)
Cover and continue to let heat
for 20 to 30 minutes.
Don't boil it though.
Meanwhile,
Cut bread into a round that will
fit the top of your oven proof bowls.
Toast the bread.
Ladle soup into the bowl.
Add bread on top.
I usually use Rye bread.
Cover with 1 or 2 round pieces of
Provolone cheese
sprinkle with a tablespoon
of grated Parmesan.
Preheat broiler.
Place bowl under broiler
for 3 to 4 minutes or until
cheese is bubbly and golden.
WATCH CLOSELY-
It goes from brown to burnt
in a New York minute.
Sprinkle with just a pinch
of fresh parsley or sweet basil.
DO NOT
leave it under the broiler this long.
(5 minutes for my oven).
And here you were thinking
I was dadgum near perfect, weren't you?
Well, the one above was
MY OWN BOWL,
thank you very much.
I didn't want to waste it
and I didn't want
MyHero to whine about
burnt cheese....
His looked like this~
So...there you have it...
Serve with a
Caesar's salad and
you have a complete meal.
YUM.
ps...just a warning...
Don't be kissing your cousins
unless they have been eating
the onion soup, too....
ummm...wait a minute...
you shouldn't be kissing your
cousin at all, should you?
At least Wisconsin says it's
A No-No.
Here's the condensed recipe..
Get it? Condensed? Soup?...oh never mind..
French Onion Soup
3 or 4 LARGE sweet onions
1/2 cup butter (even if you double this recipe
you don't need more butter) NO OLEO!
1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1-32 oz container Beef Broth.
(you can add an extra small can
to this if you like it "soupier")
Rounds of rye bread
Rounds of Provolone cheese or mozzarella
Parmesan cheese
Melt butter in a heavy pan over medium heat.
Add onions and stir to coat with butter.
Put lid on. Make sure it fits tight.
When heated through, turn temp down to simmer.
Cover and let cook as long as
needed, stirring occasionally, until
they turn a medium golden brown.
Add beef broth and continue to simmer
to blend flavors.
Ladle into bowls.
Cover with 1 bread round
Cover bread with 2 slices Provolone cheese
(or mozzarella cheese)
Broil under oven broiler 2 o 3 minutes
until bubbly and golden colored.
Sprinkle with a few bits of
parsley or basil.
Serves 3-4
Have a wonderful spring day-
there is no green to be seen here yet---
but I have the promise
that it will come one day
(soon-I hope)!!!!
Off to the VA this morning
to spread a little sunshine
and push the old boys around!
