French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
30g/1 oz butter
700 g (1lb 8oz) onions, thinly sliced ( about 6 onions)
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup plain flour
1.2 ( 2 pints) good beef stock or tins of beef consomme
300ml ( ½ pint) dry white wine or red wine
salt and ground black pepper
6 slices French bread
225g (8 oz) gruyere cheese, grated
Method:
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy based saucepan.
Add the onions and sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until they caramelise into an even brown colour.
Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute.
Add the flour and stir over hear for a further minute.
Add the stock, wine and salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.
Five minutes before serving set the grill to high.
Grill one side of the French bread, turnover and cover with the grated gruyere cheese and grill until they are gold and bubbling.
To serve, lay a piece of the toasted bread in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over it.
Serve immediately, while the soup is piping hot.
On a cold winter’s night, put 2 teaspoons of brandy into each bowl before pouring in the hot onion soup.
To make the beef stock: (Version 1)
Ingredients:
375 g gravy beef, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
¼ cup parsley sprigs
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 litres (8 cups) water
Method:
Combine beef, chopped onions, bay leaves, parsley, peppercorns and water in large saucepan.
Bring stock to the boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer gently for hours.
Strain, cool, refrigerate overnight.
Scoop fat from top of stock.
Beef Stock (Version 2)
Ingredients:
4 lbs beef bones and meat trimmings
1 bouquet garni – made up of 1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1 teaspoon dried leaf rosemary
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
8 pints cold water
1 cup dry red wine
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
½ teaspoon garlic juice
Method:
Bake bones in moderate oven, 180 degrees C, to caramelise for about 1 to 2 hours .
Place bones, meat trimmings and juice in a large soup pot.
Add cold water.
Bring to boiling point.
Skim off and discard foam.
Add remaining ingredients.
Simmer on low heat, partially cover for about 3 hours.
