Sunday, 2 May 2010

HOW TO MAKE MY RECIPE FOR ENGLISH ONION SOUP


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Most of us have come across that most watery excuse of a dish – French onion soup. However if you have onions to ‘burn’, and you are prepared to have one last go at an onion based dish then look no further than this superb recipe for English onion soup. In fact just calling it ‘a soup’ is somewhat of an injustice - it is more of a ‘3 course meal’ in a bowl!

To make the most of this recipe, use as many different varieties of onion as you can get your hands on - about 1kg in total. Further still, cook them on a very gentle heat so that they just ‘sweat’ in the pan - you'll be amazed at the range of flavours produced.
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Serves 8


INGREDIENTSA knob of butter.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
A handful of fresh sage leaves - keep 8 in reserve.
6 cloves of garlic.
5 red onions.
3 large white onions.
3 shallots.
300g of leeks.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2 litres of good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock.
8 slices of good-quality stale bread, 2cm thick.
200g freshly grated mature cheddar cheese.
A drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.

Chop and crush the garlic, then place it - along with the butter, olive oil, and sage - into a gently warmed, thick-bottomed non-stick pan. Give the ingredients a good stir, then finely chop the onions, shallots and leeks before adding those to the saucepan too.
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Season with salt and pepper, and cook slowly on a very low heat for about 50 minutes - periodically giving the mix a good stir so that nothing catches on the bottom of the pan. It is worth keeping a lid on the pan to keep the heat in but remove it for the last 20 minutes - by this point the onions should be soft and golden in colour.
As mentioned before, cooking the onions slowly is the key to obtaining the best flavour for this soup. Don't be tempted to use more heat to speed up the cooking process or you can risk loosing incredible sweetness and flavour.

Now add the stock, and bring the pan to the boil. Afterwards, turn the heat down and simmer for between 10 and 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven or grill to its maximum temperature

Toast the bread on each sides, and add seasoning - as per your taste - to the soup. Dispense the soup into individual heatproof serving bowls and then place the bowls onto a baking tray. Tear toasted bread over each bowl so that it fits it like a lid, then sprinkle grated mature cheddar cheese over the top with a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.

Add the reserved sage leaves to a dash of olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until it's bubbling and golden in colour. When the cheese is ready, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table. English onion soup is served!
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For related articles click onto:
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English onion soup recipe is care of Jamie Oliver http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/english-onion-soup-with-sage-and-cheddar-recipe_p_1.html
Posted by Simon Eade at 10:10
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