Onion Soup

I’m experimenting with a “new” onion soup tonight. I love onion soup. My kids are not overly fond of onions in any form, although my eldest (12) has just discovered, thank goodness, that fried onions, a steak, and a baked potato make a perfect meal! But tonight it’s just me so I’m making onion soup. MY normal recipe is to saute a bunch of onions, slowly, in a bit of butter and olive oil. The recipes often say to do this so slowly that you can do it for an hour without caving in and making the soup because the smell is driving you bonkers! Okay, I’ve never quite given them an hour. I also have yet to make beef broth from scratch. I always make my own chicken broth but I so rarely have beef bones, I’ve never made broth that way. But I keep a little jar of “beef base” in the frig and use that for my broth.

Most recipes say saute the onions forever, add the beef broth, a bit of sherry and cook a long time, then serve with either grated Parmesan or a slice of bread covered in Parmesan or provolone and broiled till the cheese is soft. (I usually end up just eating it with toast and sprinkle the soup with Parmesan.)

The recipe tonight is a bit different. I love Patricia Cornwell’s mystery novels with Kay Scarpetta and picked up her cookbook on a day I felt rich. This is from the book, although I’m not following it exactly, of course. Anyway, saute the onions for 15 minutes, add a bit of flour, add 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 beef broth (however much broth you want, half of each), and some chopped tomato. I’m using a can of diced tomatoes because even in California the fresh tomatoes in the store are not worth bothering with and I find the canned ones better this time of year. A bit of sherry, as well, which is traditional, and a bit of Kitchen Bouquet which I found in the cupboard although I’m not sure why I have it. But I’m going to add it at the appropriate time, which is now. The bell is ringing downstairs. I’ll report back later!

Okay. I just finished it. Mmmmm. The tomatoes added a touch of sweetness and some nice texture. And I think the 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 beef broth really made it nice, lighter than all beef broth.