Giangi's Kitchen

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French Onion Soup – a traditional recipe.

Love this time of year. Our temperatures have slightly dropped.  The sun is not as intense.  The mornings are cooler as well as our evenings.

Soup is just calling my name this time of the year and onion soup makes it to the top of my favorite soups to make. Warm, savory, easy, and flavorful made with beef stock, wine, and loads of onions.

And, do not forget, topped with loads of cheese over French baguette slices. Heavenly!

My version of the French onion soup recipe is very rich and sustaining due to the oxtail, the toasted bread, and loads of cheese that accompany it. I added the oxtail to give the store-bought broth a richer flavor.

Another big component for the success of this onion soup is slicing your onions very thinly versus, in chunks, they will caramelize better.

Caramelize the onions with care and do not rush this step. You want your onions to gently release their natural juices and cook the onions evenly.

I love to mix two kinds of onions:  yellow and sweet Vidalia. Not fond of the pungent the white, however, is my choice. I also used red onions and the only suggestion I have is to taste you will have to season with a bit more salt as the onions are sweeter when cooking.

What makes it a French Onion Soup?Skip To The Recipe

This beautiful soup originated in France in the 18th century, and it is not just a soup, but a way of life. Throughout history, it was seen as humble food for the peasant, as onions were growing easily and plentifully and the broth was simply made.

French onion soup differentiates from its English counterpart, as it always calls for beef stock or broth.

The English soup is readily made with beef, as well as chicken or vegetables stock or broth.

However, both versions will incorporate fresh herbs. Thyme and bay leaf for the French. Sage for the English.

White wine is used in the original version. I used red rich body red wine, Pinot noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Why Oxtail?

To make my soup richer and with a deeper flavor, I added oxtails that my butcher chopped up into 2-inch pieces. My choice, but the flavor was undeniably richer and deeper.

You can either enjoy the meat of the oxtails, quite rich in flavor, or I must admit I shredded some of the meat at the end of cooking and added it to the soup.

Oxtail is the tail of beef that requires long and slow braising to release its rich flavor. Not pretty to look at it makes a great addition to the beef broth. For this soup use the smaller parts or end pieces that will cook alongside the onions.

The saved oxtail, once shredded and the thick membrane removed,  will work beautifully in a tomato sauce, omelet, or quesadilla. Nothing will go to waste.

TIPS:

• Use a mandoline or a food processor with a thin slicing disk to slice your onions. You want all your slices to be the same thickness to ensure proper and evenly cooking.
• Caramelized onions will freeze well for up to three months. Make an extra batch to keep on hand so you can procure a quick pot of onion soup when the craving strikes.
• I use a large heavy cast enamel pot that will hold all the liquid but has also a large stable base with a heavy lid. You do want even cook your onions as well as your soup and I always found it I achieve the best results on my Le Creuset.
• I am a huge fan of using fresh herbs when on hand, it will do it more hommage to this soup.
• Use a rich white wine if wanting to substitute.
• Gruyere can be substituted by Emmenthal cheese. Grated is best of course.
• Season with salt and pepper once done. You will find that it has a tendency to be on the sweeter side.
• Place in a soup bowl that is ovenproof. Even though they will stay under the broiler for a very short time you want to make sure you do not crack your dishes. Use a croak bowl or onion soup bowl which is rounder and taller with a small opening mouth.
• Place the onion soup bowls on a baking sheet to accumulate any cheese spillover.
• Broil until the cheese is melted and starts to be bubbly.

Some recipes will make you toast the baguette first some do not. I have tried both ways and I like to toast my bread a little bit before placing it on top of the warm soup. It will hold its consistency longer while allowing you to dig in the melted cheese.

Do not be shy to add as much cheese as you wish. After all who does not like melted cheese combined with the onion soup, just divine.

Cognac is a must. It will give that extra rich uplifting taste to this wonderful soup. As you know the alcohol will burn off while cooking and it will leave a beautiful aftertaste.

I do love French onion soup.  Comfort food at its best in my book on a cold evening night.

More delicious recipes to try

Tomato Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Bell Peppers Cream Soup

Vegetables Chicken Soup with Pasta

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