French Onion Soup

It is a most unfortunate thing to have the veil lifted, to discover the truth about French Onion Soup. Dear friends, traditionally it is made with BEEF stock??!! %$#@gasp!!%^#& Beef? Really? But that's not what makes it so good. What makes it soooooo good is the caramelized onions, which is really where the flavor comes from, so get this.....you can, yes that's right, make a delicious French Onion Soup that is not lacking in flavor or complexity. And now get this...you only need onions!!

Well and soup stock. When I'm feeling ambitious I'll make it myself. (Really not so hard...you just put some veggies in a pot and stew for a while, then you throw in herbs, spices and salt. No biggie. My favorite stock is celery, carrot, and onion as its base. It goes with everything.) Well, it's really not so hard when you come home earlier than 8PM, discover that there is not very much in the way of veggies in the fridge, and are hungry. There were plenty of onions BUT onions take about 45 minutes to an hour to caramelize, then you have to steep them with the broth...there's no way I'm tagging on another hour for making broth. Nope.

So I'm going to use the trusty Rapunzel brand "Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt". They have an herbed variety that I like a lot too, but this is the one I have on hand. The ingredients are: sea salt, organic non-hydrogenated palm oil, yeast extract, organic onions, organic carrots, organic celery, organic mace, organic parsley, and organic turmeric. Hmmm, sounds a lot like my recipe...must be why it tastes so good. Their story on the back also tells me the sea salt is from the French Mediterranean and that all their products are from Europe. Normally that type of importing is a no-no because of the oil wasted in transport (again another reason to make my own) but I think it will enhance the Frenchy flavor of my soup...maybe.

Good caramelization requires constant vigilance. If you burn the onions, they still change color but they won't taste the same. There is the misconception that caramelized onions are sugared, and maybe in some kitchens where there is really a time crunch, they are, but not mine! The caramelization process is just a beautiful reward of slow cookin'. You simmer the onions in olive oil and butter on a low heat for almost an hour, then the sugars that naturally occur in onions change from their spicy abrupt flavor to these melty pieces of sweet sweet heaven. We all know that anything fried is probably not as healthy as it is boiled or raw, but who am I kidding? We have to live a little sometimes.

And onions ARE good for you! In fact, very good for you. You remember when that study came out about Aspirin preventing heart disease because it thins the blood, or is an anticoagulant, well so are onions! And they aren't bad for your stomach, no just the opposite, they assist in preventing stomach cancer. They are also good for your blood pressure and cholesterol and have commonly been known to assist the body in preventing and fighting colds, flus, and other viruses. Apparently even the World Health Organization has gotten behind onions promoting them as a way to increase appetite and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Though I missed the boat on planting this year I will certainly be on it for next. You're supposed to plant onions early, as soon as the soil can be worked. It appears that buying "sets" are easier than planting seeds, and there is not much information about transplants or winter onions. However, if I can get my hands on some winter onion sets then I won't have missed the boat...any Albuquerquean's know of a gardener who may have winter onion sets? Can't hurt to ask.

For the recipe you'll need:

4 large onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 3/4 cups veggie stock

4 slices french bread

grated Gruyere or Cheddar

black pepper and salt

plus whatever herbs you have around (I used sage and oregano)

Slow cook dem' onions in the butter and oil. I do a med-low heat for at least an hour, in fact it's been over an hour now. Pour in your stock, simmer for another 30 minutes!!! Toast/broil your bread, put it on top of extra hot soup, sprinkle on your cheese, top with salt and pepper and, as they say in France, Viola!!

If you are lucky enough to have been blessed with bowls that are oven safe you can toast the bread, top with the cheese, salt and pepper and then throw it under the broiler for a melty crusty top that is a more common serving practice.

It's like having your soup and a grilled cheese sandwich all in one! Brilliant!