English Onion soup ........

Aja · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:21 pm Post subject: English Onion soup ........

I am Big Lover of French Onion soup Smile

and I make it quite a lot in the cold months ........But when I saw this recipe of jamie Olivers on a BBC site .....I was like YEAH..ENGLISH Very Happy

......If it works out good tonight ......It will be soup of the day tomorrow at work Smile

....Pics to come ....

ENGLISH ONION SOUP .....

here's something so incredibly humble about onion soup. It's absolutely one of my favourites but unfortunately I only ever get to make it in the restaurant or for myself as the missus thinks she's allergic to onions. (She's not, because I whiz them up into loads of dishes without her knowing!)
If you have the opportunity, get hold of as many different types of onion for this soup as you can - you need about 1kg in total. Sweat them gently and you'll be amazed at all the flavours going on.

Serves 8
Ingredients

* A good knob of butter
* Olive oil
* A good handful of fresh sage leaves, 8 leaves reserved for serving
* 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
* 5 red onions, peeled and sliced
* 3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
* 3 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
* 300g of leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 litres of good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
* 8 slices of good-quality stale bread, 2cm thick
* 200g freshly grated cheddar cheese
* Worcestershire sauce

Method: How to make English onion soup with sage and cheddar
1. Put the butter 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a thick-bottomed, non-stick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without colouring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes - your onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavour, so don't be tempted to speed this bit up.

2. When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavour.

3. Preheat the oven or grill to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Correct the seasoning of the soup. When it's perfect, ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking tray. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to fit it like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar and drizzle over a little Worcestershire sauce. Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table.

4. Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table. Enjoy.

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

oh maaaaan...

Skylace · Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA

I adore French Onion Soup. Thanks for this Aja. I've got to keep of list of recipes to try once I am settled. Right now my kitchen is in two places Laughing

eefanincan · Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Canada

RaulRipp · Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Location: Coventry

Hey Aja! Onion soup's one of my faves and this recipe sounds particularly yum!
Gonna go and cook it for me Mam for her Mother's Day meal! Should make a great starter. I'll let you know how I get on. Ta! food

maycm · 'cheeky banana' Joined: 29 Apr 2006

You have to sit up and take notice of any recipe that starts off with the words "a good knob"

Skylace · Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA

I made this tonight as it's been cold and it's wonderful. Thanks for it!

Aja · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject:

RaulRipp · Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Location: Coventry

Hey Aja! The soup was a resounding success!!! Top marks from everyone at the table, made me Mum's day, a proper winter warmer. Looks like I'm in the good books for a while at least ;)

Aja · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 3:17 am Post subject:

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

this was on tonight... thumbs