Onion? Really onion? I can hear you thinking that. But yes, onion soup is a great hearty soup. Recipes are by the thousands! I will give you my own after reading well, not half of them but quite a lot.
I was in my first trimester with our little bundle of joy and could not stand most of the smells. We ended up in a Lebanese and my eyes widened as my husband orders onion soup. The thought of it made me shiver. Who could eat that? To my surprise, when the waiter came in with the literally steaming bowl, a wonderful aroma spread all around. “Hm, did they bring us the right order?” – I thought in a blink of an eye. In a sweet looking bowl, full of croutons and grated parmesan, was the most delicious soup I had ever tasted. Well, after the mushroom soup.
Anyhow, after a lot of struggling and reading I made my own to resemble the one that I had tasted.
Here goes nothing:
- 1 kg white onion roughly chopped
- 50g butter (coconut oil or vegetable cooking oil)
- 1.5 l vegetable stock (chicken or beef works great)
- 75 ml white wine
- 3-4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1.5 tsp dry thyme
- bread croutons
- parmesan or mature cheddar (honestly, any cheese would do)
After washing and chopping the onion, heat a thick bottomed pan and add your butter/oil. On low heat sauté the onions. This is the single most important step. They need to be slowly sautéed so all the sweetness in the onion comes out. Some, do this over night, by stirring and stirring and stirring. I usually sauté them for an hour. When do you know they are ready? The onions should turn golden brown – not brown, not burnt, and they are very, extremely soft.
When this happens, add the wine and spices and garlic, and stir them in very well until all the alcohol evaporates. Add the stock and let it simmer for another 20 mins. Make sure the onion is cooked throughly!
Take aside some of the onion and blend the rest into a smooth cream. Add the rest of the onion, stir the soup then add it into heat resisting bowls. Preheat the oven at 180C, toast some bread slices and add them in every bowl (or croutons) and grate as mush cheese as you like. Put them in the oven for about 5 min, until the cheese melts.
Serve it hot. I mean pipping hot! And of course, enjoy it with your loved ones 🙂