I’ve dined at many good restaurants and no matter how enticing menu items sound, if onion soup is among them, I must order it. It’s comforting and pleasing, and just makes me feel better, especially in the cooler autumn and winter months.
That explains why I’m making onion soup at home at this time of year.
As with many cooks, I start by slowly cooking a pile of onions in a pot on the stovetop in a mixture of oil and butter until they’re golden brown and sticky, before adding the liquid ingredients and flavourings.
Last week, though, I decided to use a different technique. Rather than cook the onions on the stove, I spread them in a butter-brushed pan, tossed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them until they had the qualities noted above.
The method worked great, because as the onions roasted, moisture in them evaporated, their flavour concentrated and the natural sugar caramelized, causing them to turn that desired golden brown.
As the onions roasted, my house filled with a marvellous aroma, the kind of smell you get in a diner when onions are being cooked.
Preparing them that way also relieved me from staying near the stove the whole time they cooked, something one must do when cooking onions in a pot, which requires frequent stirring.
Later in the roasting process, I flavoured the onions with garlic, Dijon mustard and a herb, which could be tarragon or thyme.
When they were cooked, I transferred the onions to a pot, then set the roasting pan on the stovetop and turned on the heat.
I added wine, brought it to a simmer, then scraped the pan to lift off any tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom, before pouring the wine into the pot with the onions.
Stock is now added, the soup is simmered a while and then, “voila,” you have a rich and wonderful soup loaded with onions and fine flavour.
You can enjoy the soup as is, or, as noted in Eric’s options, for even more richness, top servings of it with crumbled Stilton cheese.
I also give you the option to make onion soup gratinée, by topping bowls of it with sliced bread and grated Swiss cheese, before broiling it until the cheese is melted, gooey and delicious.
Roasted Onion Soup
Roasting the onions for this soup evaporates moisture from them, concentrates their flavour, and turns them an appealing golden colour. Once in the pot with the liquid ingredients, those desirable qualities are simmered into the soup.
If this recipe yields too many servings for you, any leftovers will freeze well.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 65 to 80 minutes
Makes: four to six servings
7 to 8 cups white or yellow onions, halved and fairly thinly sliced (about 4 medium)
2 Tbsp soft butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp tarragon or thyme
3/4 cup red wine (see Note)
6 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock or broth, plus more as needed
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush the bottom of a 17x12-inch or similar sized roasting pan with the butter. Put the onions in the pan and drizzle and sprinkle with the oil, salt and pepper. Toss the onions with your hands and coat with the oil.
Roast the onions in the middle of the oven 20 minutes. Now give them a stir, then roast 20 minutes more. Mix in the garlic, mustard and tarragon (or thyme) and cook 10 to 20 minutes more, or until onions are golden brown (don’t scorch them). Spoon the onions into a pot (mine was eight inches wide and five inches tall) and set aside for a moment.
Set roasting pan over medium, medium-high heat and pour in the wine. Bring wine to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift off any tasty brown bits. Now pour the wine mixture into the pot with onions.
Add the stock to the pot, set over medium, medium-high heat and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain that simmer (small bubbles should just break on the surface). Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. If you find the soup too thick, thin it with a bit more stock.
Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle servings of the soup with parsley.
Note: If you don’t wish to use alcohol, simply replace the wine with an equal amount of beef stock or broth and use it to deglaze the pan in which the onions were roasted.
Eric options: For a richer, English-style onion soup, top each serving with crumbled Stilton cheese. To make the French-style onion soup gratinée shown in the blue bowl in the photo, set an oven rack 15 centimetres beneath your oven’s broiler. Preheat your broiler. Ladle soup into ovenproof safe bowls, then set them on a baking sheet. Set two or three lightly toasted, 1/2-inch thick baguette slices on top of each soup. Top bread on each soup with 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese. Broil the soup a minute or two, until the cheese is melted and light golden.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in Life on Wednesday and Sunday.