French Onion Soup

Saturday 16^th January 2010

Dad’s favourite, and really so simple you can’t believe it. Beware, you must use butter and proper stock (just boil up some chicken wings the day before, strain over night, take off fat – or, boil the roast bones), and use plenty of onions, be ready to cry! We are still using our own onions, planted far too late, but got away with it. Alas they are nearly gone.

French Onion Soup

Serves 5

onions, x6 cut in very thin rings

butter, preferably unsalted, very large knob

Cook the onions in the butter really slowly (25 mins), so they sweat, and eventually start to caramelise. Don’t burn them like I do. Add :

stock, x1½ pints of the real thing

wine, white, x½ cup (optional)

bay, x1 leaf

thyme, x2 sprigs (if you have any)

stock cube, x1, chicken

garlic, x2 cloves, crushed

flour, x¼ cup, mixed to a paste in some cold water

salt

pepper, plenty

Simmer for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and the pan deglazed. Season very well, remove the bay leaf and thyme.

Surprisingly nice, worth the sweat and tears! I think my dad liked this because you could use up that half cup of wine that was left over – no waste, see. Ken has just told me that this is his favourite soup too – how can you still find stuff out after 20 years. Life’s full of surprises!

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

www.organicfarmwales.co.uk