Isolation recipe #1 because you know, COVID-19 and you have to eat at home.
You can order in but you’ve run out of hand sanitizer and you’re not sure that the delivery guy didn’t sneeze into your food. You realise you have a n enormous pile of brown onions that you bought at Coles because that was pretty much all that was left in the fruit and veg section. This is the recipe for you! You can thank me later. I’ll accept hugs post COVID-19.
You can skip reading this part, it has nothing to do with the recipe.
I had my very first soupe à l’oignon in 1986 in Paris in a quintessential French bistro on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank). I still remember it’s phenomenal flavour to this day. It was one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. I’m sure what added to its exquisiteness, is the fact that I ate it in one of the planet’s most beautiful and romantic cities, surrounded by elegance and beauty. The smells emanating from the centuries-old kitchen and the atmosphere also added to the whole experience. I still remember that it cost the equivalent of $15AUD.
My second most memorable and super-delicious bowl of french onion soup was devoured at Mumbai, India - of all places. Gary and I were there for two weeks, just over two years ago and we treated ourselves to a stay at the Sofitel. The French Onion Soup at the french bistro in the hotel was soooooo good!
Anyway, enough reminiscing! I’m here to share my favourite recipe for this ultimate comfort food.
This recipe calls for long, slow cooking to bring out the onions' natural sweetness, and lots of stirring. I recommend stirring at least every ten minutes to ensure they don't burn. Serve the soup with chunks of cheesy bread and suddenly isolation doesn’t seem all that bad.
Here’s my go-to recipe:
Ingredients
100 gm butter, coarsely chopped
2 kg onions, thinly sliced
1 litre (4 cups) beef stock (substitute with vegetable stock for vegetarians)
4 thyme sprigs
3 parsley stalks
1 fresh bay leaf
8 x 1cm-thick slices of baguette cut on diagonal, lightly toasted
250 gm coarsely grated Gruyère
Method
Melt butter in a large, wide heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until onions are soft. Remove lid and cook for 1 hour or until soft and starting to caramelise. Add stock, ½ a cup at a time, and simmer for 5 minutes or until stock has almost evaporated. Repeat three times more until 2 cups of stock has been added. Using kitchen twine, tie herbs together, add to onions with remaining stock and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, scraping the base to remove any caramelised bits, for 40 minutes or until thick. Makes 6 cups.
Preheat oven to 200C. Ladle soup into 1½ capacity oven-proof bowls and transfer to an oven tray. Scatter with half the cheese, top each with two toasted baguette slices and scatter with remaining cheese. Place in oven and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.