I’ve been on somewhat of a soup/stew kick lately. I’ve made Brunswick stew, chicken chili, Thai carrot soup, and my green soup all in the last few weeks. Soups are so quick and easy, and they can usually be made from random ingredients you have lying around, so they’ve been perfect for this lockdown.
I’ve been having LOTS of fun using this time to create new and tweak old recipes This is a classic soup recipe with a twist. I’ve loved French onion soup for as long as I can remember. My mom has always *really* loved all-things-onion, and I’ve always loved everything bread-and-cheese-related, so it makes perfect sense that this is one of my favorite soups.
But there’s a twist
Another ingredient that I love and that is super versatile? Mushrooms.
I wanted to see how adding this additional savory note would affect the flavor of the soup, and boy, am I glad I just went for it. The mushroom flavor is mellow, but it adds yet another layer of earthiness to this already very comforting dish.
Note: I wanted to keep the flavors very simple, so salt and pepper should be used as much as needed to highlight the very natural flavors of the soup. Don’t be afraid to season in layers. Lightly season the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Season the broth. You can even season the bread before toasting! The layers of simple seasonings combine into something incredibly delicious in the end.
Oh, and full disclosure: I just used the red wine that I already had on hand. It was a dry-ish red (I wish I remembered the exact type), but if you are using a sweeter wine, I’d imagine the additional sugar can be left out. Stay tuned for the Lena Cocina Test Kitchen on this.
Speaking of deliciousness, check out these photos from my official return to the world of photography.
French onion (+ mushroom) soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4-5 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves ogarlic thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups portobello mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2-3 bay leaves
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- French baguette cut into 1” thick slices
- 6-8 ounces gruyere cheese grated fresh
- Parsley
Instructions
- Start by slicing and organizing your onion, garlic, mushrooms, and de-stemming the thyme. Preheat the oven to 400º F or set to a low broil. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 60 seconds or until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat and continue cooking onions and mushrooms until they are fully caramelized and almost golden in color. Make sure to stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the pot, but not too often – this will slow down the caramelization process. After 20-25 minutes, return heat to medium and add red wine to the pot. Stir and cook to reduce the wine for about 5 minutes. Add beef stock, sugar (optional), thyme, and bay leaves and continue to simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Toasting baguettes
- Brush olive oil onto each slice of bread. Sprinkle parsley (or dried italian seasoning) onto each and line them up on a baking sheet. Bake or broil for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on these. You want them toasted but not burnt.
Assembly
- If you are serving this soup in oven-safe dishes, pour soup into each dish (about halfway full) and top with 1 or 2 pieces of toasted bread. Top each piece of bread with a mound of cheese.
- Return the dishes with soup, bread, and cheese to the oven for another 3-5 minutes to melt together. Alternatively, you can melt the cheese onto each piece of bread after they have toasted sufficiently. Then top each bowl with the cheesy toasted slices. Either way, it’s delicious!
Notes
Share your soups with me
If you make this soup or any of my other dishes, I’d love for you to share it with me. Either via email or on social media, using the hashtag #CocinaCrew. I’m always excited to see what y’all have been cooking up!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/leenuhbee
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MobileSoulLLC
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