About once a year I get a craving for French Onion Soup. I don’t like soggy bread so I don’t do mine the conventional way. You can easily change this recipe to broil in crocks with slices of bread topped with cheese.
French Onion Soup
Roast 2 pounds meaty beef bones, a large onion, halved, a few cloves of garlic and 4 or 5 carrots at 400F about an hour or until juices are no longer red. Transfer to the stovetop, cover with cold water, add 4 or 5 stalks celery, a bunch of parsley and a bunch of thyme, and bring to a simmer with a tiny pinch of salt, cook for about 4 hours at a gentle simmer. Remove bones and vegetables, skim off fat.
Meanwhile, quarter and thinly slice 6 medium sweet onions and transfer to a heavy-bottomed pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute onions over medium heat until softened and liquid begins to evaporate. As the liquid reduces, begin to turn down the heat to prevent burning. Continue to cook until the onions begin to caramelize and turn a lovely golden brown. (This usually takes a few hours, I stir every 20 minutes at first decreasing gradually to about every 5 minutes towards then end of the cooking.) Add 3/4 cup dry red wine, and allow to reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now pour in your beef stock and bring your soup to a simmer. Season with salt and add a few tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves. Serve with French bread toasted with Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese.
