It's A Soup Day-French Onion Soup

Today was cool and rainy, I was out shopping all afternoon, so it is a perfect soup day. I decided on French Onion Soup. The recipe I am going to share with you today is not one of my quick ones.  The original recipe I used took over three hours!  I have pared it down to two hours.  This is a recipe to make on a weekend.  It's so worth all the time it takes.  We love French onion soup so much that I actually went out a few years ago and bought some of those oven proof crocks with handles for serving the soup. In spite of how long it takes it's a really easy recipe. With very few ingredients.  Be brave and give it a try.  You can definitely prepare this ahead, store in the fridge or freezer and serve later.

3 lbs. yellow onions (one bag)
3 Tbsp. butter (you can substitute olive oil)
1 tsp. salt
1 bunch fresh thyme (3 or 4 sprigs tied together with string)
1 bay leaf
1 quart beef broth (I use the boxed broth)
1 quart chicken broth (I use boxed broth)
1 cup red wine
4 cups water

crusty baguette
sliced Swiss cheese
sliced provolone cheese

Peel and slice onions.  Slice them pole to pole in thin slices. Mix onions with salt, put in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.  Microwave for 20 minutes on high.  Remove from microwave and carefully remove lid away from you because there will be steam. 

Drain onions and discard water.  Melt butter over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot.  When butter has foamed and the foam has subsided, add the onions and cover.  Cook for ten minutes.  Uncover and stir.  Add bay leaf and bunch of thyme. Keep heat at medium high and continue to cook stirring occasionally.  After ten minutes, add wine and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook another 10 minutes until wine is reduced stirring occasionally.  Now add one cup of the water and continue to cook another 10 minutes, stirring. The onions should be beginning to brown. Add the second cup of water and scrape bits off the bottom of the pan.

At this point the onions have been on the stove for 30 minutes.  Add both broths and remaining two cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Once it boils, reduce heat to low.  While you are waiting for the soup to come to a boil, heat oven to 400 degrees and slice bread (one slice for each bowl).  Put the bread on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Remove bread from oven.  Ladle soup into oven proof bowls, top with toasted bread and one slice each provolone and Swiss cheese.  Put bowls on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat source for about 3 minutes or until the cheese bubbles.  Remove and serve with a salad.  If you don't have oven proof bowls, you can melt the cheese in the microwave.

At the beginning of this post, I said this recipe took two hours, that included the time it took to peel an slice all those onions.  Actual cooking time is about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you want to prepare ahead and serve later, stop at the point where you add the broths and water and bring to a boil.  Cool and store in the fridge till you are ready to use.  Reheat pour into bowls and continue with bread and cheese. This recipe serves 8, so if you have a small family, freeze the remainder for another free meal. So take the plunge and try French onion soup! 

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