A bowl of warmth to chase away winter's chill
Posted on 2006.01.15 at 15:27“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.” ~ Louis P. De Gouy
One thing I love is soup. All kinds. Thick and hearty, rich and creamy, or even just a rich flavorful broth. I love it because it's so adaptable. Soup can be made from a proven recipe, or from the contents of your freezer.
The weather has been so cool, damp and rainy lately that I've made several new soups. There's nothing like the tantalizing aroma of hot steaming soup when you walk through the door from the cool night air.
Here is a new favorite:
French Onion Soup
I made this soup two nights ago (after looking at multiple recipes and making my own from their combined wisdom), expecting small children to turn up their noses at their most notorious of hated foods... ONIONS! What I got were children asking for THIRD helpings! The bread and cheese are *not* optional ingredients.
- 1 Extra Large Walla Walla Sweet Onion, sliced and separated into rings (mine was the equivalent of about 3 medium onions)
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced into rings.
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 4 cans Beef Broth (I haven't graduated to making my own stock, plus... who has time?)
- 1-2 Tbsp. Worchestershire Sauce (to taste... I think I used 2 Tbsp)
- 1 loaf of French bread sliced
- 1 lb. Sliced Mozzarella cheese, (authentic recipes call for Swiss, or Parmesan) enough to cover each slice of bread.
Sautee Onions with butter until soft. Add beef broth and Worchestershire sauce and simmer 20 minutes or until flavors are blended. Ladle hot soup into oven safe bowls, and place a slice of bread, topped with a generous slice of cheese, and place in oven, on broil, until cheese is bubbly. (Or simply place the bread and cheese on a cookie sheet and transfer to bowls when cheese is bubbly.)
Serve immediately. Serves 6