French Onion Soup

Winters are generally very pleasant in my city, but this year its quite cold. I crave for something piping hot throughout the day. I keep switching between Black Coffee and Green tea during during the day and soup or porridge as a snack in the evening. I've been wanting to make this soup for a long time and after watching Jaime Oliver, make this French classic on TV, I just couldn't stop myself. Here's my version of 'The French Onion Soup' and of course, like all my recipes, I added my own twist to it!

Difficulty level: Low

Quantity: Serves 5  

Prep time: 60 minutes

Can be served as: Appetizer 

Ingredients:

Onions – 4 medium sized, finely sliced

Garlic – 4 pods grated

Butter – 75 grams

Olive oil – 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper as per taste (be careful how much salt is added if you are using chicken stock cubes)

Dried Thyme – 1 pinch

Bay leaves- 2

Vinegar – ¼ teaspoon

Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon

Chicken or mutton stock - 1 liter (if you are using stock cubes, check for salt content)

All purpose flour (maida) - 2 heaped tablespoon

Bread – French loaf or garlic loaf or baguette (any long loaf bread sliced at an angle)

Cheddar Cheese – as per needed

               

Must have tools:

Heavy bottom non-stick pot

Grill oven or microwave oven

Preparation:

Add butter and oil in the pot; once the butter has melted, add onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, cumin powder, salt, pepper and cook on medium high flame for 20-30 mins till the onions are caramelized and golden brown.  Once the onions are cooked, add the vinegar and cook for further 2 mins. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard; turn the flame to low. Start adding the flour slowly into the onion mixture, working the flour into the mixture cooking it gently; don’t burn the flour. Once the flour is cooked, start adding the stock gradually and mix it well into the onion mixture getting rid of any flour lumps. Cook till the oniony stock is bubbling.  Check salt and pepper and alter as per taste.

The classic soup is served with the strips of onions but since my hubby was not really sure how it would taste, I blended the mixture with a hand blender. It turned into a nice thick porridge consistency. You can add more chicken stock or just water to take it to the consistency you prefer.  While the onion mixture is bubbling, heat a pan and toast the bread slices lightly. Just before serving, pour the onion mixture into a microwave/grilled safe bowl and place the bread slices on top of the soup, grate the cheese on to the bread liberally. Microwave for 30 seconds or grill for 5 mins till the cheese is melted and golden.  

 Reality check:

• It’s an absolutely yummy and a hearty soup!
• Serve with some more slices of bread, a salad and it becomes a complete meal.
• The original recipe actually has Red Wine in it; you want, add some wine just before adding in the flour.
• We were feeling full after having one big serving of the soup at about 7.30 pm and skipped dinner. So watch the quantity you serve.