When Life Throws you Onions; Don't Cry make French Onion Soup

Recipe: Rick Stein.  French Odyssey

'Millions and millions; Onions for me!'

Onion Seeds drying in a shed

Voelgesang Farm, De Rust,  Western Cape

French Onion Soup

Serves 4

60g butter

1kg onions, halved and thinly sliced

4 x garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 teaspoons caster sugar

300ml dry white wine

1.5l Beef stock

Bouquet garni of bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks

4 x 2.5cm thick slices of French bread

225g Gruyere or Comte cheese (any strong cheese will do)

coarsely grated

Salt + blackPEPPER 

Heat the butter in a large pan.  Add the onions, garlic and sugar saute over medium heat, stirring regularly for 25min, until the onions are soft and caramelized.

Add the wine, simmer rapidly until reduced by half.

Add the beef stock and the bouquet garni, cover and simmer for 30min.  Remove the garni, flavour to taste with salt + pepper.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 150 degrees, place the bread slices onto a baking tray, let them dry out, but not brown.

Remove the tray, increase the temperature to 220 degrees.

To serve, place a slice of bread into the bottom of a ovenproof serving bowl, fill with soup, cover the soup with the grated cheese.  Place the bowls on a tray, bake for 30min until golden and bubbling.  

Alternatively place them under the grill for 5min.

Serve scalding hot!

We wanted to steal bags and bags of onions from this guest farm we visited over the holidays,(the onions were strewn everywhere) but knew we would come out on the other side rather flavoured :)