After getting soaked in the rain yesterday, I decided to prepare this French classic soup to warm me up, it works magic (and not just because it has white wine in it)!
You'll need:
3 medium size golden onions
100ml white wine
250 ml good quality broth
baguette or other bread to grill
cheddar cheese (or other strong flavoured cheese, classicly Gruyere is used for this recipe)
butter
rosemary
nutmeg
laurel leaf
black pepper seeds
freshly ground pepper
a pinch of sugar
garlic (optional)
1. Start off by chopping the onions into thin slices. Soften them up in a pot with some oil and melted butter (no French recipe can do without butter). TIP: be careful not to add to much butter or oil, so as not to make the soup oily afterwards. Add some water to avoid burning the onion. Cook it over small heat for some 10 minutes until it softens and then add a pinch of sugar to caramelise it (again be careful not to add too much, to avoid making the soup a dessert, the onion is already naturally sweet). The secret is in slow cooking over low heat.
2. Add the wine and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth, together with rosemary, nutmeg, black pepper and laurel leaf. Cook some more. At this point the smell is simply divine.
4. In the meantime prepare the bread. Cut some small slices, cover them with butter, add some finely chopped garlic (optional) and cheese on top and put in the oven set to a grill option.
5. Transfer your soup into a bowl, add some freshly ground pepper, and serve with a grilled piece of bread on top.
Bon appétit!
