French Onion Soup anyone....?

French Onion Soup & Garlic Bread....

...what a 'lethal' combination for Buka Puasa..!

This is a pretty standard, classic dish.

Everything about this dish works for me...

– its innate frugality, everyday ingredients and lack of pretension.

Seasonings are up to you, so make them personal.

If you are a Vegetarian - no problem - use vegetable broth instead of beef or chicken stock, or if you are just looking for lighter fare, use chicken stock.

My version is 'very' heavy on the onions - so reduce those if you are having this as a side dish.

I like mine as a Main Meal.

The recipe:
2 bulbs of Yellow Onions

(or you can use Red Onions for the sweetness)

1 clove of Garlic

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Flour

6 cups Beef or Chicken stock

(no time to make the stock so I use Maggi cubes- disolved 3 cubes in 6 cups of hot water)

1 or 2 sprigs fresh Thyme

1 Bay leave

1 cup water

2 tspn Sugar

Baguette to toast (my leftover from two days ago..!)

Salt and Pepper

Gruyère Cheese

(this cheese is difficult to get in our local supermarket - but Hock Choon @ Jln Ampang will never fail you.!otherwise you can substitute with Parmesan)

Method:

Peel and thinly slice onions

Saute them to soften in butter and olive oil over a low to medium heat.

Stir them regularly.

They are ready when they are soft, sticky, sweet and deep gold in colour.

Throw in thyme, basil leave and garlic.

Add a pinch of sugar at this point to help the onions caramelise.

Stir in flour, cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in boiling beef/chicken stock and water. Partially cover with a lid and leave to simmer for a good 45 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, ladle into deep, heatproof bowl, place several thin slices of toasted baguette on to each, then cover with thinly sliced Gruyère (or shredded Parmesan Cheese). Parmesan in place of Gruyère produces a less fatty but just as tasty crust.

Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted but not browned.

The trick to getting this soup right is that the onions caramelise – they must cook for at least 35-40 minutes over a low to moderate heat. Only when the onions are soft enough to crush easily between finger and thumb can you add the flour and stock.

What is probably the world's best-known soup has much to offer if we get it right... well almost..!

Enjoy..!