Mrs. Mitchell: French Onion Soup

Friday, June 11, 2010

French Onion Soup

I felt like crap today. It may or may not have anything to do with that jug of cheap wine I had last night...I just can't be sure. Anyway, soup always makes me feel better when I'm down and cooking helps me focus on something other than my pounding headache. Josh got me to like French Onion Soup a couple years ago so I wanted to try to find a recipe to make it at home. I ended up finding this one awhile back online but I'm not sure where. All I know is that this is really easy, pretty fast, and keeps well in the fridge so you can make a ton of it and save it for a rainy day (which, coincidentally is what my mom did the other day after I gave her this recipe).

This makes 6 servings and takes about 35 minutes including prep time:
1/4 c olive oil
4 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
20oz beef broth
1/2 c water
2 tbs Marsala wine
salt and pepper to taste

6-12 slices of French bread (depending on the size of the slices)
1-1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese

When chopping this many onions, I break out my Hollywood shades or else my eyes burn like hell. Josh used to think he was special because cutting onions didn't bother him. Then one day he just happened to not be wearing his contacts and he cried like a baby. He's special alright.

In a pot, heat the oil, onions and garlic until tender and translucent. This should take about 10 minutes on medium heat. Stir it every minute or so to make sure all the onions are cooked evenly. Season with some salt and pepper.

I used bullion cubes instead of prepared stock so I just heated 24oz of water and then dissolved the cubes before adding it to the pot.

Add beef broth, water, and Marsala. Throw in some more salt and pepper and cook on medium for about 10 minutes until fragrant.

I looooove these Mario Batali 2 cup casserole dishes. I had to track them down at a Crate & Barrel in Miami when they got discontinued before I could snag a couple.

Put into individual dishes...