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..!

Potato Skins

There is nothing like a plate full of potato skins, filled with melty cheddar cheese and topped with bits of lean meat, sour cream and green onions.

The first time I had these... I thought I had died and gone to heaven...! *LoL*

Oh, I could eat a whole plate..!

These potato skins are easy to make. Some approaches call for deep frying, but I dont think it is really necessary. You just want to bake the skins at a high enough heat so that they get crispy enough to hold the toppings.

POTATO SKINS

6 small/medium Russet baking Potatoes

Olive oil

Canola or vegetable oil

Salt

Freshly ground Pepper

6 strips of lean meat

(you can use beef sausage & diced them into small pieces if you dont have lean-meat in stock)

Grated Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Spring onions- thinly sliced

Method:
Scrub the potatoes clean, rub with olive oil then bake at 350 deg oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the lean meat strips in a frying pan on medium low heat until crips - drain on paper towel and let cool. Crumble or chopped into small pieces.


Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally and use spoon to carefully scoop out the inside, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use. Leave about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Brush and rub canola oil or vegetable oil all over the potato skins - outside and in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan. Cook for 10 mins on one side then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 mins. Remove from oven and let cool.


Arrange potato skins side down on the roasting rack. Sprinkle the inside with freshly ground pepper, cheddar cheese and chopped lean meat. Return to oven, bake for another 2 mins or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, use thongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with spring onions.


Serve immediately - while still hot

Enjoy...