Bread and Onion Soup
Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
- 5 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock or canned broth
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 4 thick slices coarse country bread, preferably day-old, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or shredded fontina cheese
Directions
In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté very slowly, stirring often, until caramelized, about 45 minutes. The onions must be sweet and golden but not brown. Stir in 2 Tbs. of the basil and cook for 5 minutes to flavor the onions. Add the water, cover and simmer until the onions are quite tender, about 30 minutes more.Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 350°F.
When the onion mixture is ready, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Place individual ovenproof bowls on 1 or 2 baking sheets and evenly divide the bread cubes among them. Top with the hot onion mixture and then the cheese.
Bake until the cheese melts and the soup is piping hot, 10 to 20 minutes. Garnish with the remaining 4 Tbs. basil and serve immediately.
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Rated 4 out of
5
by
sameera from
Comforting, but not enough liquid
This soup is very warm and comforting, so it does its job well as a soup. I found that there wasn't as much liquid as I would have liked -- even when I didn't add the bread. Maybe that was because I stored the soup in the fridge overnight? I wonder if the onions soaked it all up.
Also, it is easy to make, but you do have to make sure you are watching it since you have to caramelize the onions for a while.
Date published: 2012-08-07