Onion Soup

After having a bowl of S's chili for lunch, I wanted something lighter for dinner. I didn't have any good crusty bread for a crouton, or any white wine, so this is hardly traditional, for those who have fond memories of French onion soup, with the toasted crouton, and gobs of cheese melted under the broiler. Yet, it was really tasty. After I made it, I checked Foodnetwork.com for French onion soup recipes, and was pleasantly surprised to see something similar to mine, from Ina Garten. She uses butter, sherry, cognac, and wine, but, otherwise, it's very similar.

I didn't take a picture. Truth is, it didn't occur to me to do so, but we all know what onion soup looks like, right? S is away on business, and doesn't really like onion soup very much, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to make an old favorite just for myself.

Yield: 2 servings
Cook time: 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• One huge, or two smallish onions
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic, depending on size, minced
  
• approx. 1 Tbs. of olive oil, maybe a little more
  
• 1 pint of beef broth
• a bay leaf
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• grated parmesan

Method:

1. Peel the onions, and cut them in half, then slice them fairly thinly
2. Mince the garlic
   
3. Sautee the onions with the garlic, bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper in the olive oil on medium heat until the onions get translucent and turn a little yellowy (10 - 15 minutes)
   
4. pour in the beef broth, stir well to deglaze the pan, and let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes
5. Add a little extra water, if necessary, to make up for the steam loss during simmering
6. Remove the bay leaf
7. Adjust the salt level to taste, if necessary
8. Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with grated parmesan cheese

Note: the grated parmesan will sink, and turn the soup cloudy, but it's alright, and doesn't detract from the taste at all. You could also make a Kosher version by substituting vegetable broth for the beef broth, but it's not the same. Leave off the cheese, and the Kosher version becomes vegan.