Crusted Onion Soup

Spring is here and so are the sprouting onions. It’s time to clean out the larder or keep a close eye on it. We had a fantastic onion harvest last year and still have lots of onions but they do tend to start growing again when spring hits. The yellow onions keep better so I wanted to use up the red onions before they got too soft, with more sprout than onion.

I had just over 3 pounds of reds left which was just about the perfect amount for a batch of onion soup. I adapted the following recipe from a Vegetarian Times recipe. I used a white wine that I had on hand (instead of the sherry as originally called for) in the soup. It was quite tasty, but I thought it needed a little deeper flavor so the next time I plan to make it with dry red wine & Tamari instead of broth or salt.  Your personal taste preferences count for a successful meal – just use the recipe as a guide and choose your own seasonings.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. Olive oil

5 large red onions (about 3 lb.) halved and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced or about 1 Tbs.

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. unbleached flour

6 cups of your favorite vegetable broth or 6 cups water and 2-4 T. Tamari Sauce to taste

1/3 cup wine (dry sherry, dry white or dry red wine)

1 tsp. Dijon or stone-ground mustard

1 tsp. rice vinegar or other mild vinegar

Toasted whole grain bread – 1 piece for each serving

2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese or your favorite white cheese

Sautéing Onions

1. Heat butter and oil in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and salt, and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to very low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 50 to 60 minutes, until onions are very tender and brown.
2. Stir in flour, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Blend in broth, wine and mustard. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar.
3. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into heatproof bowls. Top each with slice of toast and grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. (Ours got a little black around the edges but it was still good.) Serve hot.

Ready for Broiling