Well, it’s November 1st and I survived another Halloween, which is getting more difficult as my daughter gets older and becomes more of a force to reckon with when she’s hopped up on massive quanitites of sugar. She turned 5 on Halloween (and yes, sometimes I think she truly is the spawn of the devil!) and I’m glad I wasn’t her teachers that day. She must have told me 20 times that morning that it was her birthday and that she was a big girl now. I can’t imagine how many times her teachers had to hear that line. More power to them, as a full day of that would have driven me crazy, and we all know that I’m on the edge as it is! But I’m not out of the woods just yet. We didn’t have time for her birthday party this past weekend so we are having it next weekend. That means 20 kids running around hopped up on cake, ice cream and soda. My only consolation is fact that I can then send them all home to unsuspecting parents who will then have to deal with the sugar crash. And yes, I know I’m evil! It’s part of my charm. Just ask my wife.

While we were out this weekend, we stopped by the farmer’s market here in town as it was the last one of the season. I wanted to make sure we stocked up on winter squashes as I love playing around with them, and they make great, hearty, Autumn time meals. I picked up a few Butternut squash perfect for soup making. Adding just a bit of curry powder to the mix gives the soup a nice complexity but doesn’t overpower the flavor of the squash.

There are many ways to garnish this soup; bacon is one garnish I use regularly, but today I wanted to change it up a bit. We had gotten a loaf of pumpernickel bread with our last CSA share of the season so I diced them up into 1/4 inch cubes and sauteed them slowly, in butter, over medium heat until crispy. I also peeled and diced an apple which I dusted with a mixture of 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. ground chipotle pepper, but plain diced apple works well also.

Curried Squash Soup
serve 8-10

2 medium Butternut squash (about 4-5 pounds)
2 ribs celery
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup half and half
1 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbl. honey
salt
pepper

Peel, seed and dice the squash. Chop the celery. Peel and chop the onion. Peel the garlic. Place all the vegetables in a large pot. Add the half and half and then add water to just barely cover the vegatables. Add the curry powder and honey and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Puree the soup either in batches, in a blender, or in the pot using a stick (emersion) blender. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. This version doesn’t have much sweetness which is the way I like it when using the curry powder. If you want it sweeter just add more honey. Garnish with your choice of toppings or see above for suggestions.

I’ve been a little lax in sharing my recipes inspired by our CSA share. It’s not that we haven’t been using all the great produce from Good Earth Farm, it’s just that I have been behind in uploading the recipes. It didn’t help that our good friend Kim celebrated her birthday this past weekend so most of Saturday night was spent celebrating (I do most of my writing later at night when the kid is asleep-less distractions!). And Sunday was spent at Breakfast on the Farm and hanging outside with the neighbors, playing Washers (kind of like Horseshoes). It was way too nice to be inside, writing on the computer!!

Our weather, here in Wisconsin, has been up and down, like much of the nation’s. One day it’s 85° and the next it’s 55° so I decided that I wanted to make a soup that would taste great either hot or cold. That way I had all my bases covered. Heat it up and it would be perfect for a cool, rainy day or serve it chilled, with a salad of the baby greens we received in our share, for a light, hot weather lunch. Potato soup is perfect for this kind of application as it often works both as a hot or a chilled soup. The potatoes would also be the perfect foil for the plethora of green garlic, which we had gotten for the past 2 weeks of our share, that I wanted to use up. This makes a wonderful, comforting warm soup, yet not too hearty for a summer day. Chill it down it makes a great cold soup, but blend in some cucumber and you have a perfect early summer luncheon when paired with a salad, or in our case, thinly sliced radishes set atop of buttered honey wheat bread.

Potato and Green Garlic Soup-Two ways
serves 4

6 bulbs green garlic with 4-5″ of the stems left on
2 pounds russet (Idaho) potatoes
1 rib celery
1 cup half and half
water
salt
pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 cucumbers (seedless as the skins of regular cucumbers are too thick and bitter)

Roughly chop the green garlic and celery and place in a medium sized pot. Peel and slice the potatoes. Add to the pot, along with the half and half. Add enough water to just barely cover the potatoes. Add salt, pepper and a few gratings (or a small pinch) of ground nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes start to fall apart, about 20 minutes depending on how thickly or thinly you slice the potatoes. Puree the soup, adding additional water, if necessary to achieve a consistency you like. Stir in the sour cream, adjust the seasoning and serve. Or, at this point chill the soup until completely cold. Return to the blender and add the cucumber, roughly chopped. Blend until smooth. At this point you will probably also have to thin the soup again as it thickens as it cools. You will also have to re-season the soup as the cold will deaden the seasoning a bit. No matter at what temperature you serve the soup it will be improved by garnishing with a sprinkle of fresh herbs. There are many to choose from, but my choices would be rosemary, if serving the soup hot and tarragon is serving it cold. Be careful as both herbs can be overpowering so just a light sprinkling would be fine.

I served this soup cold on Saturday and accompanied it with thinly sliced radishes served over slices of honey wheat bread slathered with copious amounts of butter. It may not be the most inventive way to serve radishes, but there are reasons some foods become classics and buttered radish sandwiches fall easily into this category. If you’ve never tried it do yourself a favor and try now, with fresh early summer radishes. Just make sure to a good, dense bread, such as the honey wheat loaf I used.

My last post was on making Italian sausage, so I figured I should follow it up with, at least, one post offering up a suggestion for using it. I have to admit, my favorite way of eating Italian sausages is to grill them until about half way done, finish them in a thick tomato sauce bursting with onions and peppers and then stuff them into a chewy sub roll and eat the whole thing accompanied by a root beer. But that is something that most people do anyway so I wanted to come up with something a little different. I remembered coming across a recipe for Portuguese Sausage and Kale Soup, not long ago and with “Italian” food on my mind thought a mash up between Portuguese Sausage and Kale Soup and Italian Wedding Soup would work perfectly. Since one of the main ingredients in Italian Wedding Soup is greens (usually spinach or escarole) I figured changing it over to kale wouldn’t be a big deal. And since Italian Wedding Soup also contains meatballs, usually beef or a mix of beef and pork, I figured I could make the meatballs out of sausage. Sure Portuguese Sausage and Kale Soup is usually made with Linguica or Chorizo, but I figured I could take a little artistic license.

Kale is an often underutilized green in this country. I’m as guilty as everyone else, but making this soup reminded me of how good kale can be, and the best part is that it is quite a bit cheaper than fresh spinach or many other fresh greens.

For most dishes that I make, that include meat, I usually brown the meat. It provides color and added flavor to the dish, but this time I decided to forgo that set. First off, in most Italian Wedding Soups that I have seen, the meatballs have been pale. Secondly, I like the light simplicity of this soup as is, and think that browning the meatballs would just muddle up the flavors a bit. Of course, if you prefer to brown the meatballs then go ahead. The soup will still turn out great, though different.

Other than making up the meatballs, this soup is pretty simple to make and pays off with a lot of flavor. While great eaten the day it is made, like most soups this one is even better the next day or the next. Luckily it makes enough that you are guarenteed leftovers, unless you are feeding an army.

Italian Meatball & Kale Soup

Meatball
1 pound Italian sausage (either hot or sweet)
1 large egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
12 cups chicken stock
1 pound kale, stems & thick center vein removed and chopped
2 pounds, waxy potatoes peeled and diced 1/4-1/2″ (I used Yukon Golds)
salt
pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated

For the meatballs: combine all the ingredients and mix well. Form into small meatballs, about the size of marbles, and set aside. You should end up with about 60 meatballs.

For the soup: in a large stock pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, without browning until onions become translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the kale and cook for 10 minutes then add the diced potatoes.

Cook 5 minutes longer then gently add in the raw meatballs. Cover and cook for 20 minutes more, or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladel into bowls and top with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

It’s been awhile since I last posted, but at least I have a good excuse this time. Unfortunately, last week I ended up in the hospital and just got out on Sunday. It’s been a rocky road the last few days, but now I’m beginning to feel like myself and decided that I could take a brief break from bed rest and post.

This is a recipe that I’ve had around for a few weeks and I just haven’t had the chance to post yet. As you’ve probably noticed over the last few months, I’ve been exploring and playing around with Asian foods. One of the problems with making Asian dishes is the fact that they often require special ingredients that one can’t find in many local supermarkets. The up side is that, all across this country, Asian communities have been on the rise and you can probably find an Asian market relatively close by. The other up side is that many of these products, are extremely cheap, especially compared to similar items in the regular grocery stores. I urge everyone to spend some time exploring their local Asian market and discovering, not only great food items, but great prices also.

Dashi is one of the workhorses of Japanese cuisine. It is the basis of most every soup and noodle dish and often shows up in many other places also. While there are various kinds of dashi I don’t tend to bother with them and usually just make the standard version using Kombu (a seaweed) and bonito flakes. Bonito is a species of tuna. Yes I know, it sounds rather fishy, but believe me, the resulting broth is not overly fishy and a wonderful subtle flavor.

Dashi

4 quarts water
1 6×6 piece kombu, wiped clean (to remove any of the white residual salt)
1/2 oz. bonito flakes (about 2 cups)

Place kombu and water in a medium sized pot and allow to sit for 1-2 hours. Heat over medium heat just until starting to simmer (small bubbles start to form). Remove the kombu and bring to a roiling boil. Boil for 1 minute then add the bonito flakes and remove from heat. Allow bonito to steep for 15 minutes or until it all sinks to the bottom. Strain and use as necessary or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

I love Japanese udon noodles. They are thick and chewy, quite unlike most Italian pastas and they work perfectly with the thin, dashi based broths of Japan. This recipe really makes udon noodles the star, as they should be, with a supporting cast that includes the dashi broth, green onions and kamaboko. You may not be familiar with kamaboko, but I’m sure you are familiar with imitation crab meat or imitation lobster meat. Both are made from surimi, a fish paste create to resemble the flesh of shellfish. Kamaboko is often formed into half circle logs and can often be dyed in creative ways, though here, in the US, it is most often found with a pink outside and white interior. If you can’t find kamaboko the you can certainly substitute any of the imitation crab meats found in most grocery stores, though it will be much cheaper, ounce for ounce, if you can find kamaboko at your local Asian market.

In Japan this udon dish is often referred to as Kake Udon or Su Udon. Either way, it makes a light, healthy, and delicious meal. Enjoy

Kake Udon

2 quarts Dashi (see recipe above)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
1 pound udon noodles
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
8 slices, kamaboko, thinly sliced (or substitute surimi or imitation crab meat)

Bring 3-4 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the udon as directed. While the udon is cooking gently reheat the dashi, adding the soy sauce and mirin. When the noodles are done, strain and very briefly rinse in hot running water. Divide the noodles between 4 large soup or noodle bowls and add 2 slices of the kamaboko to each bowl. Pour dashi over the noodles, garnish with the green onions and serve.

In general, I am a fan of cooking from scratch, though occasionally some of the recipes on here do use, and even benefit from, premade products or shortcuts. I try not to make it a habit when cooking, but every cook should have an arsenal of shortcuts at their disposal for those “last minute” meals, or when you just don’t feel like cooking and take out doesn’t sound appetizing.

Recently, my family has been eating a lot of this Chicken Coconut Soup that I’ve been making. It’s based on the Thai soup, Tom Ka Gai. I hesitate to call it authentic Tom Ka Gai, as I take a number of short cuts and add a few things of my own, although, like with so many “everyday” dishes, every family has their own version of this soup.

This is one of those rare soups that is perfect for year round serving. It’s light and fresh enough to serve in the heat of summer, but still rich and comforting enough to help chase away the winter blues. And the best part about it is, that from start to finish, you can be done in 20 minutes. Now, I am normally of the school of thought that a soup should cook for a considerable amount of time, anywhere from 1 to 4 hours, but not with this soup. It is done in 20 minutes, and in fact, suffers from prolonged cooking.

I have also found that this is a good way to introduce novices to the flavors of Southeast Asia. It has a number of exotic flavors in it but they are all relatively subtle and the whole concept is tempered by the fact that, at its very core, it is just chicken soup. Even my relatively picky 4 year old likes it, as long as we pick out the mushrooms.

The one thing that this soup contains that many people are afraid of is fish sauce. This condiment, found throughout Southeast Asia, smells horrendous, and if you don’t already know how it is made, you probably don’t want to know. But it lends a subtle richness and depth of flavor to foods and is used so sparingly that you would never know it is there until it isn’t. If that makes any sense. In many dishes it completely replaces salt or soy sauce and acts in the same way by enhancing the existing flavors while rounding them out and adding a certain indescribable quality to them.

Chicken Coconut Soup
serves 4-6

2 cans (approx. 14 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cans (approx. 13.5 oz. each) coconut milk (not Cream of Coconut which is a totally different product)
1 pound chicken breasts
8 oz. white mushrooms
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Green Curry Paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand which can now be found at most large grocery stores)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 bunch green onions
2 each fresh thai chiles or serrano chiles
1/2 bunch cilantro

Thinly slice the mushrooms and place in a medium sized pot. Cut chicken into approximately 1/2 inch cubes and place in same pot. Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, but do not allow to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile wash your cutting board and finely slice the green onions and chilies, putting them each into separate bowls. Remove stems from the cilantro and roughly chop. Place in another bowl and set aside. After soup has simmered for 10 minutes add the curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Taste. If soup needs more salt either add more fish sauce or some soy sauce. Ladel into bowls and allow each person to garnish their own soup with the green onion, chiles and cilantro.

And there you have it. Soup, from start to finish in 20 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

It has been another busy week for me, as my lack of posts can attest to. Work has been busy and my parents have been up visiting, so I haven’t had much time to sit down and write anything. In fact, this post is a week overdue as this recipe was created last Saturday. Hey, better late than never.

Last Saturday dawned gray and rainy, so my morning plans of fishing were put on hold. Yes, I admit it, I am a fair weather fisherman. To me it is more about the act of fishing than actually catching fish, though catching them is an added plus. Since this is the case, I prefer my fishing days warm and sunny, and usually accompanied by a few beers! But since we had cancelled our fishing plans I decided to head to my favorite spot to pick ramps (wild leeks). The trees would keep the worst of the drizzle from reaching me and the wet ground would make digging ramps rather easy. Besides, the place I was headed is so full of ramps I wouldn’t have to search too long or hard and would be back in my car before I was soaked through. And without the daughter in tow, like the previous week, I could get in and out quickly.

I don’t do a lot of foraging as I am not that knowledgeable about wild edibles, but I do forage for ramps and morels as they are both pretty safe to forage. Both are very distinctive and while there are a few poisonous look alikes, those look alikes are really not that similar once you take a closer look. Now for the CYA, lawyer speak so I don’t get sued – Never eat anything you have foraged unless you are 100% sure of what you have. A forager’s golden rule is “When in doubt, Throw it out!” Please make sure you know what you have before you eat it. No sense in making yourself sick…or worse. Secondly, if you are going to forage, don’t be shelfish and strip an area barren. Always leave a few behind for others and to ensure that it comes back year after year.

For those of you not familiar with ramps these alliums, part of the onion family, like moist, sandy soil so are often found near streams and on hillsides close to streams and creeks. They are one of the earlier plants to break soil in spring so finding them is usually quite easy as they tend to rise above the other plants in the area, but by mid May, usually, the other plants have overtaken them making them harder to find and causing the leaves to die back. The leaves are soon replaced by a flower stalk which blooms in early summer. While the bulb is edible all year long, it is best in spring, when the whole plant, bulb and leaves can be used. Ramps are very pungent and have a taste that combines the flavors of onion and garlic, and can be used in place of either, though start out using less and add more if needed.

Creamy Potato and Ramp Soup

3 ribs celery, chopped
1/3 cup ramps, bulbs and stems, no leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups half and half
10 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup ramps, leaves only, chiffonnade (a fine julienne)
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Combine the celery and ramp bulbs in a large pot along with the butter and saute for 4 minutes, without coloring. Add the potatoes, half and half and enough water to just cover the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoe are falling apart, about 25 minutes. Puree soup until completely smooth. Return to heat, add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and add the ramp leaves. Cook for about 4 minutes to wilt the leaves and serve immediately. If soup is too thick thin with just a bit of milk or half and half.

It occurs to me that I write often about the foods and drinks of New Orleans. I’m not sure why the city and its food has left such an indelible on me. I only spent about 6 months living there, while doing a culinary internship, but there is something about the food of that city that has made a lasting impression. The city is proud of its culinary heritage, a meld of Old World and New. The cuisine is a true American invention, a blend of cuisines from France, Spain, Africa, and the Caribbean along with the bounty of New World food stuffs. I think this is what has captured…and kept my interest for so long. I know of no other cuisine that draws from so many diverse cultures, blends those influences together, and creates something that is so wholly new, yet still reminiscent of each cuisine it has drawn from.

One of my favorite dishes, from New Orleans and Cajun folk who settled in the area, is Gumbo. A combination of European and African technique, along with the foods of Africa and the New World, this soup is the apex of that melding of so many cuisines and cultures, in my opinion. In fact, the word gumbo, itself comes from Africa and is an African word for okra, a traditional thickener used in the soup.

Gumbos come in a wide variety of styles, some containing only seafood for the protein, some containing chicken and andouille (sausage), while others contain all three, and some, eaten during lent are completely meatless. Some contain tomatoes while others do not. The creole versions tend to use a lightly browned roux, while Cajun versions use a very dark roux that adds an incredible depth of flavor to the dish. Traditionally okra or file powder (ground sassafras leaves) were used as the main thickener, though traditionally cooks always used one or the other, never both. Seafood gumbos were usually thickened with okra while chicken and sausage gumbos were thickened with file. This had more to do with timing than any great culinary revelation. Okra was available during the summer when one could go crabbing and shrimping. In winter, when okra was not available file was used, a time when chicken and sausages were easier to come by then seafood.

The version I offer up below, is a Cajun style gumbo using shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage. It’s a rich,and hearty soup but not overly thick so while it will warm you up in winter it is not too heavy to enjoy in summer. In other words it makes a great meal year round. Ladle it into a bowl as is, or spoon it over rice for a more “stick to your ribs” meal.

Gumbo
serves 4-6

1 pound shrimp (2 pounds if you can get head on shrimp)
8 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups flour
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced
1 pound andouille sausage (if you can’t find andouille a spicy smoked sausage such as kielbasa will do)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
hot sauce
salt
1/2 pound okra, sliced

Peel the shrimp, removing the tails also. Place the shells, tail, and heads (if you got head on shrimp) into a pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the flour to make a roux. Stirring almost constantly cook the roux until it is dark brown.

Do not allow the roux to burn or the gumbo will taste bitter and burnt. Also, they don’t call dark roux “Cajun napalm” for no reason. This stuff is HOT and it sticks like crazy. Getting this stuff on you burns like crazy so be careful! Once you have achieved the color above add the vegetables and cook 5 minutes longer.

Strain the shrimp shells from the stock you just made and add the stock to the pot, discarding the shells. Add the chicken, sausage and seasonings, adding salt to taste. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the okra and cook 15 minutes longer. If the shrimp are large cut them into bite sized pieces, if they are small just add them as is along with the hot sauce to taste (gumbo should have a little kick to it, but it shouldn’t be overly spicy). Allow to cook a few minutes longer, just until the shrimp are cooked through, then serve

The cold weather is slowly descending upon Wisconsin. While there have been a few days, so far, where we have seen snow in the air, I imagine that it won’t be long before that becomes a regular occurrence. Unlike so many others, I don’t mind the winter, and except for the long drive to work, I rather look forward to the season. I don’t understand people, here in Wisconsin, that spend so much of their time griping about winter. I just want to look at them and say, “You live in Wisconsin, what do you expect? If you hate winter so much then move south!” I guess it’s because I’ve moved around so much, that if I don’t like the weather in a place then I just pack up and move on. Life’s too short to be stuck living in a place you hate half of the year. That’s part of the reason I left the South. Being a Northern boy by birth, I missed the 4 seasons, and hated the hot, humid summers.

As I was saying, before I went off on my rant, winter is just around the corner for us in the North. One of the reasons I know this is the fact that my wife is in soup making mode. Much of it will be destined for the freezer, packaged into small individual portions that she can take to work with her. Her latest soup was a wonderful Split Pea with Ham.

Split Pea soup gets a bad rap, mostly thanks to the movie “The Exorcist.” That’s too bad as Split Pea soup is a hearty, soul warming dish full of flavor. The perfect remedy to ward off the chills and a great way to warm up after a chilly afternoon raking leaves. The other great thing about Split Peas soup is that it is so easy to make.

Split Pea Soup with Ham
1 each Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 each Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 pound Dried Split Peas
4 each Ham Hocks
Salt
Pepper

In a large sauce pot melt butter over medium high heat. Add the carrots and onion. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are just starting to brown. Add the split peas and ham hocks then add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the peas are soft and tender, adding more water if necessary to keep the peas just submerged. Remove the ham hocks and allow to cool. Puree the soup in a blender or better yet with an immersion blender (so much easier!). Thin with a little water if too thick for your liking. Season with salt and pepper and return to the stove, over low heat. Remove the rind (skin) from the hocks and cut away all the meat from the bone. Dice into bite sized pieces and return to the soup. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with either more finely diced ham or croutons (small cubes of bread sauteed in garlic butter until golden and crispy).

French Onion Soup is one of those dishes I have pretty much stopped ordering at restaurants unless I am familiar with the place and know they make it properly. It’s not that most places have bad French Onion Soup, it’s just not that good. That’s too bad because good French Onion Soup is not difficult to make, it just takes a little time and patience. French Onion soup gets its extraordinary depth of flavor in the long, slow cooking process of caramelizing the onions. Rush this step and that is the difference between a good onion soup and an okay one. Onion soup should also be made with homemade beef stock, but not many people keep beef stock around like they do chicken stock. If you don’t have beef broth around then at least buy canned beef broth. Whatever you do stay away from the bouillon cubes or packets as they tend to be overly salty and taste way too artificial.

The first recipe is a standard recipe for French Onion Soup. The second recipe is for a Creamy Onion Soup with Blue Cheese. It starts just like the French Onion Soup, but then thickened and finished with half and half and blue cheese. It is one of my favorite variations on Onion soup

French Onion Soup

2 Tbsp. Butter
4 pounds Yellow Onions
1 cup Red Wine**
2 1/2 qts. Beef Broth
1 each Bay Leaf
3 sprigs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
1/2 thick croutons cut from a Baguette, toasted

Peel and julienne the onions. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and slowly caramelize the onions. Over medium heat this should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir regularly to keep the onions from burning. This is important in the later stages as the onions start to caramelize It is this long, slow caramelization process that really builds the deep flavor of this soup so don’t rush it. When the onions are dark brown raise heat to medium high and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Reduce the wine until almost dry then add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. To serve ladle into soup crocks top with a crouton then the cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned in spots. (continue reading…)