Oui oui to French Onion Soup!

Eating, Recipes 0 Comments 3121 Views February 15, 2019 Sandra
15 Feb. 2019
Comments: 0
Views: 3121
By: Sandra

Oh this dreary weather has me yearning to get out of the city. The chill and grey days have me craving that ultimate foodie mental getaway: Paris!

And when in Paris, how can you not have French onion soup?

 

See what I did there?

 

Cold…

 

Paris…

 

Soup…

 

I often wonder how my mind bounces about like that. I must say though, a richly flavourful, cheesy bowl of goodness does a lot to take the chill out of the day.

So where did onion soup come from?

Onion soup has been served up since the Roman times due to onions being easy to grow in a variety of soil conditions, plentiful and with a long shelf life. It is believed that the modern day onion soup originates from Paris, France in the 18th century when the recipe changed somewhat to have the onions caramelized to bring out their natural sweetness. Then the crusty bread and cheese thown in….and ohhh la la …gastronomical goodness ensued!

In the true spirit of French cooking, I will give you fair warning that to truly make a gorgeous French onion soup time is involved. I like to make my own beef stock, which in itself takes a day as the slow cooking portion of it should be minimum 12 hours…..but I do 24 for good measure. If you are pressed for time, you can buy store bought beef stock, or if you care to do a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth instead.

 

For the beef broth you will need:

  • A bag of raw beef bones ( depending on the size of your slow cooker will determine how many bones you should get. You want want the liquids be able to cover the bones in the pot)
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 peeled carrots in large chunks

 

– In a shallow dish arrange the beef bones, scatter the vegetables between and around them.

– Drizzle with a bit of olive oil & liberally sprinkle sea salt and cracked pepper.

 

– Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour (turning the bones at the midway)

– Transfer all contents of the shallow dish into the slow cooker

– Add 4 bay leaves and 1 halved onion

– Add 1 cup red wine and then enough water to cover the bones

 

– Slow cook for minimum 12 hours, but ideally 18 or so on low heat

– Remove bones and vegetables from slow cooker and using a wire sieve ensure all the little bits are caught so you are left with clear broth.

– Allow to cool and skim off the beef fat

 

 

 

 

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

  • 6 -8 yellow onions – sliced
  • 1 red onion – sliced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 3-4 sprigs of thyme
  • a dash of nutmeg

  • In an enamel cast iron pot, drizzle the olive and add the onions.
  • Sauté the onions for 5-10 minutes

 

 

 

  • Transfer the pot into a 375 degree oven and roast for 25 minutes

 

  • Return the pot to stove and continue to gently simmer the onions for another 5-10 minutes. At this point they should be soft and golden.
  • Add the 1 cup red wine, thyme and dash of nutmeg

  • Simmer for 10 minutes
  • Add the beef broth and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
  • Ladle into ovenproof soup bowls
  • Add sliced of toasted baguette (or any bread/croutons you have)
  • Top generously with gruyere cheese and final topping of grated parmesan cheese
  • Broil in oven until cheese is melted and turning golden

 

 

 

  • Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes

 

Sooooooo good!!  🙂

 

 

And bon appetit!

 

 

Xo – Sandra