French Onion Soup

As the temperature drops and the winter weather rolls in, there's nothing like coming home to a delicious and warm meal. This french onion soup is a perfect addition to your recipe list and it's sure to fill your house with a tempting aroma. This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 to 7 sweet onions
  • 1/3 cup Sherry cooking wine
  • 5 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Thyme: 3 fresh sprigs or 1/2 tablespoon ground
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Italian or French bread
  • 1/4 cup red cooking wine
  • Swiss cheese

Equipment Needed:

  • Dutch oven or a 4 to 5 quart pot with a lid
  • Oven safe bowls

Step One

Before preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, be sure your Dutch oven (or pot and lid) fit inside the oven where the rack is positioned. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your pot on medium heat. As the oil is heating up, cut all onions up. To follow this recipe exactly and to insure the onions cook in the amount of time given cut both sides of the onions off. Peel the shell off and then cut the onion in half. Cut both halves vertically about 1/8 of an inch. Place all the onions in the pot. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until they're translucent and soft.

Step Two

Evenly settle the onions on the bottom of the pan before placing it in the oven. Make sure to sit the top lopsided. They need about an hour and a half to 2 hours to cook, but the exactly amount of time they spend in the oven depends on how long you would like them to cook. Make sure to stir the onions after 45 minutes of being in the oven, and be sure to not stir them again until 35 minutes later. At this time, begin stirring the onions every ten minutes until they are a deep caramel color and there are bits baking onto the sides and/or bottom. Once this has begun to happen, remove the pot from the oven and place on the burner under medium heat. Immediately add 1/4 cup of water, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Step Three

Place 1/3 cup of Sherry cooking wine into the pot and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until the Sherry has evaporated. Then add 5 cups of vegetable broth, thyme and 1 bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover, simmering for 30 minutes.

Step Four

To prepare the red wine soaked croutons, place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan under medium-low heat. Mince the 2 cloves of garlic, cooking in the olive oil for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, being sure to stir frequently. Cut the Italian or French bread into 1 inch cubes and place them in the garlic and olive oil. Coat all sides of the cubes and sauté until all sides are toasted. Then pour 1/4 cup of red cooking wine evenly over the bread cubes and cook until they begin to become dry.

Step Five

Place the soup into the oven safe bowls and then preheat the broiler. Evenly place the red wine soaked croutons into the bowls before topping them with the desired about of Swiss cheese. Place in the oven and wait until the cheese begins to bubble and becomes brown.

VoilĂ ! Enjoy and manipulate to meet your personal taste preferences.

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