Soupe a l’oignon
- Serves 6-8
- 6 small onions, sliced very thin (this is a guide if you want it thicker use more or thinner use less – I
- usually use approximately six, never less usually more and med. to big size)
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. Flour
- 6 c. beef broth or chicken broth (4-5 tins of 10oz each) For vegetarian version use vegetable broth – but
- make sure that it is very rich
- 1/2 c. dry white wine, Chablis type – I use what I have and use the tilt method to measure (two tilts) if not
- enough add more
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
slices of French bread, day old (the very best is to use a heavy peasant bread like the kind that I make and then it doesn’t have to be a day old – the day old is to give it body)
- 3 Tbsp. grated Swiss cheese – I don’t use Swiss – I use what I like and usually a mixture (I never use any
cheddar but all other types are open season- you want something that will melt – parmesan can be used in the mixture but not as the only cheese)
- Decided to rewrite the recipe –
Toast the bread on both sides – what I do is rub a very thin coating of olive oil over both sides and put on a cookie sheet in an oven – at whatever temperature you like to toast things at and don’t have to call the fire department in 3 seconds. Make sure to turn the toast over and do the other side –Meanwhile peel several cloves (easier to use if on the larger size) of garlic and half each clove so that you have a flat surface. As soon as the fire is out or the bread is toasted whichever comes first – rub the flat side of the garlic over the toasted bread – rub as much or as little as you want on – uses up the garlic very quickly. (If you get to the point where you can’t rub any more – put the garlic ends into the soup but pull them out before serving – easier said that done)
Recipe doesn’t say but I start with the soup pot.
Lightly brown the onions in butter. Sprinkle with the flour and continue to cook. Add the broth, wine, salt and pepper (I never add this until the end often the salt in the broth is enough, you can crank the pepper in here if you like – then I taste and adjust) to taste. Simmer soup for 10-15 min. (In about ½ to ¾ hour after this I taste and add the salt and always add pepper and/or more wine)
This soup will keep for a short time – just turn it off.
The recipe says to put the bread into the tureen or bowls then pour the soup over but this is what I do. I
put soup into a soup tureen or into individual soup/casserole bowls, then float the bread on top (it gets soggy fast enough). Sprinkle with the cheese or cheese mixture, put under broiler to melt and brown the cheese. Serve very hot. This is really good – very filling (probably because I use so many onions and the heavy bread). Can almost be a meal in itself – with a salad would be.
- Call for any further clarification.