Happy New Year! Birdbelly husband and I did nothing but eat too much, drink too much, and put puzzles together over the holidays. It should have been prime time to cook and blog, but I needed that end of year R&R! But we’re back at it, I have the urge to deep clean, organize, and renovate our home…we will see how much the Birdbelly house accomplishes in 2019. Other than that, no resolutions here!
January has had some serious freak weather so far. We had some 50 degree days, some 7 degree days, and 6 inches of snow…in a single week! Regardless of the temperature outside on a given day, I’m craving SOUP! I have loved French Onion soup as long as I can remember. I think I liked it even before realizing I actually like onions…which seems odd, until you remember it’s really onions covered in delicious melted cheese.
What’s even better is that there is wine in it, some for the soup, and some for me!
Let’s get right into this delicious bowl of melted cheese…I mean soup!
The Process:
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Slice the onions. The thickness of the onion slices is totally up to you, I don’t like them super thin because I want to be able to bite into them after the soup simmers. So think somewhere between onion ring size, and what you may consider thin. Birdbelly husband would tell me to put it into measurements, which is about 1/4 inch thick.
If you would prefer to chop the onions, that is OK too!
In a large Dutch oven (big enough for all of your raw onions), melt the butter on medium heat. Then add the onions, and stir occasionally until the onions are tender. They will reduce in size by about half and be a light brown color from the butter.
Next stir in the garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme,* salt and pepper. It will immediately smell SO GOOD in your house. Cook for approx. 1 minute, don’t let the garlic burn. Then stir in the balsamic.
*It’s best to crush your rosemary and thyme with a mortar and pestle (if you have one), or the handle of a heavy spoon in a bowl. This will insure you don’t have large rosemary sprigs in your teeth!
Next stir in the flour until all of the onions are coated and the flour is golden brown. You want the white flour to be completely mixed in so you don’t get that raw flour taste. About 2-3 minutes.
NOW the fun part, WINE! Hopefully you haven’t drank the whole bottle, you need a bit in your soup! Use a dry white wine. Pick one out that you like to drink. Other than that, no criteria. Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay would be great! I used Pinot Grigio this time.
Stir in the wine and cook on med-low for about 5 min, R.I.P. alcohol, we are cooking you out. (P.S. This isn’t going to start one of those cool flames you see on TV, sorry.)
Finally add the beef broth, and worcestershire. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 30 min. As always with soup, the longer the better.
Once it is time to eat, place the sliced French bread on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Toast until golden.
Ladle the soup into oven/broiler safe bowls, top with toasted bread, and then the best part…CHEESE! Provolone and Mozzarella to be exact. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet (use the same one you used for bread and save a dish to clean) and place under a low broiler until the cheese is melted and golden.
Enjoy! I like to have a few extra slices of bread on the side, and be careful, that bowl is HOT!
Recipe:
French Onion Soup
A rich heartwarming soup, blanketed in golden and bubbly cheese.
Ingredients
Soup
- 4 large Yellow Onions
- 1 stick Butter
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic About 4 Large Cloves
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Rosemay Crushed
- 1/2 tsp Thyme Crushed
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 3/4 c Dry White Wine Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
- 32 oz Beef Broth Low sodium
Topping
- Sliced French Baguette
- Olive Oil
- Italian Seasoning
- 12 Slices Provolone 2 per serving
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Parsley, for garnish Optional
Instructions
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Cut the onions in half and then slice about 1/4 inch thick.
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In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat. Then add the onions, salt and pepper, and stir occasionally until the onions are tender. They will reduce in size by about half and be a light brown color from the butter.
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Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Cook for approx. one min, don’t let it burn. Then stir in the balsamic.
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Add the flour and stir until all of the onions are coated and the flour is golden brown. About 2-3 minutes.
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Stir in the wine and cook on med-low for about 5 min.
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Finally add the beef broth, and Worcestershire Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 30 min. As always with soup, the longer the better.
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Once it is time to eat, remove the bay leaves, and prep your topping.
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Place the sliced French bread on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Toast until golden.
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Ladle the soup into oven/broiler safe bowls, top with toasted bread, and cheeses. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and place under a low broiler until the cheese is melted and golden.
xoxo,
birdbelly
