Recipes by James Eddington
Eddington’s of Exeter
527 Main Street, Exeter, 519-235-3030
http://www.eddingtons.ca
You may have heard that onions can kill the H1N1 virus, but that’s just a myth. Still, a warm soup like this is good medicine for your body and soul during cold and flu season…
Caramelized onions
(This is the base for the soup.)
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp vegetable oil
6 large Spanish onions, peeled & thinly sliced
8 drops Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 splash water
1 cup red wine (just open a bottle)
In large pot, sauté onions in butter and oil on low to medium heat for approx. 30 minutes, stirring periodically. The slower and longer you sauté your onions, the more flavor and sweetness will be present.
Once onions have softened, add Worcestershire sauce, splash of water and brown sugar. Turn to high heat and let caramelize. Once color is slightly darkened, add approx. 1 cup of red wine to deglaze pot.
French onion soup
2 cups red wine
4 bay leaves
4 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock (or more beef stock)
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 slices old bread, toasted and cut to fit bowl
2 cups cheese (your choice; I like a blend of
cheddar, smoked gouda and Swiss)
Once you deglaze the caramelized onions add all ingredients (other than bread and cheese) to same pot. Bring to Boil and then reduce heat to medium simmer. Let simmer for one hour. The longer you simmer and reduce your soup, the more flavours you will have.
Preheat your oven’s broiler. Ladle soup into four French onion soup bowls and place fitted toast into each bowl. If you slightly dunk the bread to ensure it is moist, this will reduce any chance of burning under the broiler. Sprinkle cheese evenly on toasted tops and place bowls onto baking sheet. Place under broiler until cheese has melted golden brown.
Your soup should be bubbling through and around the cheese. Caution: although tasty, it will be hot, so let rest for at least two minutes.
Serve and enjoy!