Onion soups have been popular since Roman times and as you may recall from your history class, Henry II, future king of France, married a lovely Italian girl from Florence named Catherine de Medici. What you might not remember is that when Catherine moved to France, she brought her Tuscan chefs with her.
The Tuscan’s, (like all Italians) enjoyed putting a thick crust of bread in the bottom of a bowl, ladling the hot onion soup over it and topping it with grated cheese. This is my version of the Tuscan-style onion soup. The secret to this rustic and robust flavored soup is in the caramelization of the onions. I like to have a crouton with cheese in every delicious spoonful, so I use gratin bowls (shallow) to get equal amounts of the cheesy bread with the rich onion-filled broth.
The onions are the foundation on which the rest of your soup is flavored, so it’s key that you make the right choice. I use yellow onions as they have a well-balanced flavor, not too sweet or too sharp. Make sure to use a large pan that can accommodate the amount of onions you’ll need to caramelize, plus the broth you’ll add later. Choose a pan with a wide bottom so it can hold the onions in an even layer across its base. If they’re piled on top of each other, they won’t caramelize properly or evenly.
I use both butter and olive oil because when they’re used together, the result is better caramelization and a more flavorful soup. Caramelizing onions is a task that many cooks find challenging, not because it’s technically difficult, but because it requires more patience than culinary know-how. In order to create caramelized onions that are beautifully browned and flavorful, you have to take your time to cook your onions slowly on a lower heat. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat to cook them faster. They may brown more quickly, but they won’t have the flavor transformation that only occurs when the onions are cooked slowly. Depending on how large you’ve sliced your onions and what temperature you cook them on, it can take as long as 45 minutes to caramelize onions. Patience is a virtue … the proof is in the taste!
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds yellow onions, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 8 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio)
- 1 loaf rustic country bread
- Olive oil
- Fontina cheese, shredded
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil, add onions, cook over medium heat 10 minutes (stirring often).
- Season with salt and pepper, cook 35-45 minutes (until onions are caramelized).
- Sprinkle flour over onions, stir and cook 2-3 minutes until flour is well blended.
- Add broth, water and wine, bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and cook 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut slices of bread into cubes, place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Toast in 350* oven until golden brown.
To serve, place toasted bread cubes into individual bowls, ladle hot soup over the top and sprinkle with cheese (the cheese will melt without having to go in the oven, so there is no need to have oven-proof bowls). Serve immediately.
