French Onion Soup -- from scratch!
Jun. 5th, 2010 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silvercaladan in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnom Now, don't be alarmed by the title of the entry. From scratch, you say! That always means the recipe is hard!
Never fear, the simple ingredient list will both please your budget and satiate your hunger. French onion soup is one of the staples around my house, as the recipe makes a lot (for when you can't cook tomorrow) and warms the belly. I know its summer, so warm things aren't always in demand, but when its rainy and gloomy outside, there's nothing better than a glass of wine and delicious, delicious soup.
2-3 large onions
1 cup red wine
1 quart beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bread
An easily melted cheese to grate on top, like fontina or provolone
The first step is easy, AND enjoyable. Pull out that bottle of red wine you bought, open it, and pour yourself a glass. Mmm, delicious. Now, don't forget to set aside a cup of the wine for cooking later, but don't forget to enjoy your portion too :D
And you DO want a red wine for this. I prefer malbecs, because they have deeper, more earthy flavors that compliment the beef stock well, but most recipes recommend a cabernet. Cheap wine is fine, if you don't want to cook with the fancy stuff, but make sure you're aware of what you are buying before you cook with it!! The flavor of the wine has a major impact upon the taste of the soup. If you're not a wino, ask someone in the store to help you select a wine. You want something with a full, rich flavor.
Next, slice your onions. Try not to dice them; small pieces don't do well in soup, but pieces the size of your mouth aren't very conducive to eating, either. Use your best judgment, and remember you'll be eating this with a spoon later. Also, either white or yellow onions will work; the yellow ones are sweeter, so if that's what you're looking for in a soup, go for it.
I pull out a deep pot, usually the one I cook spaghetti in, and pour in the olive oil and butter over a medium heat. The goal here is to caramelize the onions to a deep golden color. Stir occasionally, as we want all the onions to be cooked and the bottom of your pot might not be big enough to get them all at once. No big; as long as they all end up golden you're fine. Stir in some salt and pepper, depending on your normal tastes. A pinch here and there is great.
Once all of the onions are a golden color, pour in that cup of wine you set aside earlier. You'll want to let this simmer until the wine reduces significantly and the onions take on a reddish color. Be sure to scrape the sides as you stir, as the wine will reduce a bit stickily. It also does not all have to be gone for the next step to be taken, but the onions must take on a reddish color before you can proceed.
Pour in the 1 quart of beef stock, and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour at a simmer. This amount of stock might not be enough, or it might taste too strong; occasionally I toss in a cup or so of water to thin out the pre-made salty beef stock I usually buy, and add more liquid to the soup. Its all eyeball; do the onions clump together too much? Does it not look too much like "soup"? Add some water! Or more beef broth, whatever floats your fancy.
Once the soup is declared finished, ladle it into bowls. Float slices of whatever bread you chose (french, if you want to be traditional! but I just use whatever bread is in my fridge at the time) in the soup, and grate some of the cheese you bought on top while its still piping hot. You want the cheese to melt into both the soup and onto the bread, and you want the bread to soak up a lot of the broth.
Mmm... delicious.
Never fear, the simple ingredient list will both please your budget and satiate your hunger. French onion soup is one of the staples around my house, as the recipe makes a lot (for when you can't cook tomorrow) and warms the belly. I know its summer, so warm things aren't always in demand, but when its rainy and gloomy outside, there's nothing better than a glass of wine and delicious, delicious soup.
2-3 large onions
1 cup red wine
1 quart beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bread
An easily melted cheese to grate on top, like fontina or provolone
The first step is easy, AND enjoyable. Pull out that bottle of red wine you bought, open it, and pour yourself a glass. Mmm, delicious. Now, don't forget to set aside a cup of the wine for cooking later, but don't forget to enjoy your portion too :D
And you DO want a red wine for this. I prefer malbecs, because they have deeper, more earthy flavors that compliment the beef stock well, but most recipes recommend a cabernet. Cheap wine is fine, if you don't want to cook with the fancy stuff, but make sure you're aware of what you are buying before you cook with it!! The flavor of the wine has a major impact upon the taste of the soup. If you're not a wino, ask someone in the store to help you select a wine. You want something with a full, rich flavor.
Next, slice your onions. Try not to dice them; small pieces don't do well in soup, but pieces the size of your mouth aren't very conducive to eating, either. Use your best judgment, and remember you'll be eating this with a spoon later. Also, either white or yellow onions will work; the yellow ones are sweeter, so if that's what you're looking for in a soup, go for it.
I pull out a deep pot, usually the one I cook spaghetti in, and pour in the olive oil and butter over a medium heat. The goal here is to caramelize the onions to a deep golden color. Stir occasionally, as we want all the onions to be cooked and the bottom of your pot might not be big enough to get them all at once. No big; as long as they all end up golden you're fine. Stir in some salt and pepper, depending on your normal tastes. A pinch here and there is great.
Once all of the onions are a golden color, pour in that cup of wine you set aside earlier. You'll want to let this simmer until the wine reduces significantly and the onions take on a reddish color. Be sure to scrape the sides as you stir, as the wine will reduce a bit stickily. It also does not all have to be gone for the next step to be taken, but the onions must take on a reddish color before you can proceed.
Pour in the 1 quart of beef stock, and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour at a simmer. This amount of stock might not be enough, or it might taste too strong; occasionally I toss in a cup or so of water to thin out the pre-made salty beef stock I usually buy, and add more liquid to the soup. Its all eyeball; do the onions clump together too much? Does it not look too much like "soup"? Add some water! Or more beef broth, whatever floats your fancy.
Once the soup is declared finished, ladle it into bowls. Float slices of whatever bread you chose (french, if you want to be traditional! but I just use whatever bread is in my fridge at the time) in the soup, and grate some of the cheese you bought on top while its still piping hot. You want the cheese to melt into both the soup and onto the bread, and you want the bread to soak up a lot of the broth.
Mmm... delicious.
no subject
on 2010-06-06 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
on 2010-06-07 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-06-12 03:31 am (UTC)I also don't cook nearly as long. I am afraid the onions would be way too soft/mushy for my tastes.
no subject
on 2010-06-14 04:43 am (UTC)