French onion soup

French onion soup is a classic dish yet very simple and packed with flavour. It’s a perfect comfort food which consists of three main parts; firstly, the rich perfectly caramelized onion soup, secondly, the toasted bread and thirdly, the melted, gooey cheese. Delicious.

When it comes to soups and one-pot dishes, I’m the first to say “yes, give me more.” Oh, I was in heaven when I tried this soup. I love caramelized onions. And when you combine them with homemade sourdough bread and gooey cheese you get one of the best things to “fight” against the cold front from the polar vortex. Oh yeah! Yummy!

It’s just as comforting as a pumpkin mac & cheese, a classic parmigiana or a big bowl of minestrone. All of these dishes are very easy to make. Having said that, it does take some time and love to make it, though, yet no skills. And the good thing about the French onion soup is, that you only need to know how to stir. Wink.

Usually, the French onion soup is made with yellow onions. However, I prefer the red ones, therefore I used those. But it doesn’t really matter which onions you use. The important thing is that you use a lot of them. After all, there’s a reason why it’s called onion soup. Right?

To caramelize the onions takes time and some love

Moreover, it takes some time to caramelize the onions. It will take about 30-40 minutes to obtain those deeply golden onions. Therefore, be patient and keep stirring. It’s amazing how a pungent onion transforms to sweet and tender delicacy.

There is always a toasted bread with broiled cheese floating on the onion soup. It isn’t very clear when it was added to the soup but I can totally see why it became a part of it. It’s amazing and somehow iconic. Use any cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmentaler, Fontina, Edam or Comte.

With what pairs the onion soup? Probably the best thing you can pair it with is a nice steak. You can basically pick any steak you like most. Hmm, but I can imagine a lovely sunny side up egg, too.

Ingredients for two portions of French onion soup:

• 6 red medium to large onions (sliced)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple vinegar
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 500 ml beef or vegetable stock
• 4 bay leaves
• salt
• 2 slices of bread
• some cheese (Gruyere, Emmentaler, Edam or Fontina or any other)

To begin, peel and slice the onions. In a casserole pot or in a deep pot, add the butter and olive oil. After the butter is melted, add the onions and slowly sautee them. Cook them for around 5 minutes or until golden. Give them a stir. Then, every 3-4 minutes, give them a good stir until they turn to a darker colour.

At this point, keep an eye on them and every couple of minutes give the onions another stir. More, if they are starting to stick and when it looks they are starting to burn, add a splash of white wine and give it a stir by scraping the bottom of the pan.

Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the flour and after one minute, add the white wine to deglaze them. Cook for a couple of minutes. Furthermore, pour in the apple vinegar, beef or vegetable stock and add the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for additional 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200º C, cut a couple of slices of bread and slice some cheese. Place the bread in the oven for a couple of minutes until slightly toasted. Then remove them from the oven, but leave the oven on.

When the onion soup is ready, season to taste and divide it between ovenproof cups or smaller soup bowls. Then, lay one slice of bread on top and add some cheese. Put it back in the oven, on the top rack for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Finally, carefully remove the cups or bowls from the oven and bring it straight to the table. Watch out, it’s hot hot hot. This French onion soup is hearty, warming and perfect for the winter season. Make it on a snowy weekend or any other cold day.

Enjoy!