This is, hands down, my husband’s favorite soup! So, I decided to try making it for him. And, oh my goodness, am I glad that I did. My version is simple, but extremely flavorful. It’s even better after a few days. Top it with a slice of toasted cheesy French bread and your taste buds will be dancing!
You will need:
3 large Vidalia or sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup of butter
1/2 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 t Kosher salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup of red wine (one you would drink)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
8 cups of beef broth (can use vegetable broth)
1 French baguette sliced
Olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Freshly grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese
Heat a Dutch oven or stock pot on medium high. Add the butter and onions and turn the heat down to medium. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. You don’t want the heat too high. So, turn it down if you need to. This is a ‘low and slow’ method to bring out all of the sweetness in the onions while slowly browning them. Once your onions are done, add all of the spices and stir. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf and check to see if additional salt and pepper are needed.
While the soup is simmering, put the sliced bread on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and broil for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the oven and rub the garlic clove on each slice of the bread. Mix the two cheeses together and sprinkle equal amounts of cheese on each slice and put back under the broiler to melt the cheese.
To assemble, put some grated cheese in the bottom of your bowl, top with a ladle of soup. Add a slice, or two, of the toasted bread on top of the soup and serve. Enjoy!
#yumola