| Red Wine Onion Soup |
Recipe type: Soups
Author:
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Soupe à l’Oignon au Vin Rouge – traditionally, this soup was served as a mid-morning meal at bistros near Les Halles (the wholesale food market) in Paris. In some establishments, they left some of the meat used for the broth in the soup for additional flavor. This is my version with red onions and red wine. It’s a good soup to build your blood and keep you warm in the winter.
Ingredients
- 1 quart beef broth
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 laurel leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 lbs red onions, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 4 slices of baguette, sliced 1-inch thick
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups grated Gruyère or Emmental cheese
Instructions
- Bring beef broth, sea salt, peppercorns and herbs to a boil.
- Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook onions in oil and butter with the sea salt in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add wine to onions and boil until reduced to half its volume, about 1 minute.
- Strain broth through a sieve into onion mixture and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Preheat broiler.
- While the broiler is heating, toast 4 baguette slices in your toaster. Grate fresh garlic cloves over the toasted bread.
- Ladle hot soup into 4 ceramic bowls set on a sheet pan.
- Place toasted baguette slices on top of the soup and sprinkle each with 1/2 cup cheese.
- Broil about 4 inches from heat until the cheese gratinée turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Notes
Chef’s tip: The trick here is to cook the onions and garlic until they are slightly caramelized. That is what gives this soup its flavor. The salt added to the cooking onion help bring out their sweetness and accelerate the caramelization process. The red wine adds another layer of flavor.
If you prefer a sweeter taste, feel free to substitute sweet Vidalia onions for red onions. Some chefs like to add the bread slices without toasting them. I not only prefer mine toasted, I like to scrub fresh garlic over it to add a hint of Provencal flavor. I also like the still crunchy mouth feel of the toasted bread while eating my soup. Enjoy!
Red Wine Onion Soup Recipe
Get Alain's e-book Healthy Food Choices & Easy Meal Planning absolutely free when you sign up for latest post updates.
