Day 123-- French Onion Soup recipe

Prologue:

For this month's soup challenge I wanted to start with a classic: French Onion Soup.  Onion soups have been around since the Roman era, and through they centuries they have often been associated with poor classes due to the easy accessibility of onions.

The current version of French onion soup with a dash of cheese has been around since the mid-19th century, and has been a staple in America since the 1960s when French cuisine surged in popularity. It's a really simple dish and pairs very well with steak.

French Onion Soup

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

21/2 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup butter

2 can of 14oz beef broth

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

*optional 1/4 cup dry white wine

4 slices of French bread

1/4 cup grated cheese, Swiss, Gruyere, or Monterrey Jack are fine.  

Directions:

1.) In a large pot cook and simmer the butter and onions for about 20 minutes or until the onions are golden.  Stir occasionally.

2.) Stir in the broth, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and (if using) the dry white wine [more on that later].  Cook all together for about 15 minutes.

3.) Preheat the oven to broil and place your French Bread slices on aluminum foil. Sprinkle the slices with your grated cheese.  Place in the oven until melted.

4.) Ladle your soup into 4 soup bowls and place your bread slices on top of your soup to be absorbed. Done!

Review:

A rather funny non-wino success.  The soup with absolutely fantastic aside from one little thing: I (whose alcohol consumption pretty much stops at jello shots) thought it tasted way too much like wine, whereas my boyfriend and roommate couldn't taste the wine at all, lol.  

Overall, I liked the simple onion-broth soup for it's full flavor without the heaviness.  I've never had a soup with soaked bread inside and I was surprised by the fun texture it gave to the soup as I'd break off chunks with my spoon.  I would definitely make this soup again.

We paired it with top sirloin steak and steamed broccoli.  My boyfriend and I were dancing in the kitchen to Kings of Leon (and a lil making out again the fridge;) as he cooked the steaks on the grill and my soup was simmering.  Pour yourself a glass of white wine and happy cooking!