Freakin' Easy French Onion Soup

This is another staple of our household, not least because our local food delivery service inundates us with onions this time of year. It's been quite a learning experience getting used to eating locally grown foods - it means eating only what is in season, and sometimes, that can get downright boring. But it make the challenge of finding interesting ways to cook all the more fun.
This particular recipe came from a foldout recipe book from a Polish magazine that was lying around my grandparent's place in Warsaw. It is the only dish he ever let me cook for him. He insisted on helping, slicing the onions paper thin, even though he had a cataract and was blind in one eye. His sliced onions would have made a Cordon Bleu chef jealous.


FREAKIN' EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP
4 cups water
2 vegetarian bullion cubes
2 medium white/yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp flour
Splash of dry sherry, optional
1/4 tsp red chili flakes, optional
salt/pepper to taste

4 slices of toasted bread (can be French/Italian, or any bread you have on hand)
1 cup shredded Swiss Gruyere (or any shredded cheese you have)

Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat for 10-15 minutes. If they start to brown, reduce heat. Add chili flakes, if using. Sprinkle with flour and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to coat flour in butter. Pour in water, add bullion cubes and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add splash of dry sherry, if using. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your personal liking.

In soup bowls, arrange one piece of toast per bowl. Top with 1/4 cup cheese in each bowl. Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serves 4 (if you're lucky)

Soups, easy as you please

We don’t turn the heat on in our house unless it’s absolutely necessary. Since we live in Austin, it’s not that big a deal. We find we sleep better when it’s cool, bordering on cold, in the house and it brings new meaning to snuggling on the couch. When the temperatures finally dipped into something resembling Fall a couple of weeks ago, we finally got a chance to indulge in some warm, autumnal recipes, perfect for enjoying on the couch, catching up on Dr. Who episodes.

CREAMY POTATO SOUP
4 cups water
2 vegetarian bullion cubes
4 med. red or Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 med yellow or white onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tblsp butter or olive oil
¼ tsp chili pepper flakes, optional
Salt, pepper to taste


Melt 1 tblsp butter in stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes, if using. After a couple mintues, pour in 4 cups of water, and add the bullion cubes. Stir to dissolve. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10-15min. Using an immersion blender, puree the entire batch until thick and creamy. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. The bullion cubes are typically packed with sodium, so be careful.

Garnish with parsley, dill, or a dollop of sour cream. Serve with crusty French/Italian bread. Or you can sprinkle with French’s Onions or salad croutons. Serve hot.

Serves 4 (but seriously, 2 will devour the entire pot, so perhaps best to make more)