A quick, easy recipe for you and a rare success from my slow cooker, debuted for Booze Booze Booze night at the September meet of the Victoria Inn Cookery Club. It was then titled ‘French Soup’ though I must now confess I used a Kiwi wine. It’s dead easy to do and was well received, by them and by me!
Full write up of that evening pending.
Easy Onion Soup
All times & quantities assume a 4.5L slow cooker
250ml white wine- for heavens sake use something you would drink, not the £2.79 value stripes cooking wine!
1l chicken stock
500g shallots
1 stick of celery, plus leaves if possible
6 cloves garlic
Butter
Double cream
Fresh thyme
Bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
Put the wine into your cold slow cooker with a big bay leaf and 5-6 sprigs of thyme (strip the leaves off if you can be bothered and discard the stalk) then add the garlic either crushed or very finely chopped. Finely chop the celery and shred the leaves if using.
Make up your stock if using cubes or concentrate then put to one side. I like Kallo organic cubes if you don’t have the real thing. If you are using made stock, warm it up on the stove to aid the cooking times.
Chop the shallots reasonably finely and soften for two minutes in at least 20g melted butter then transfer into your slow cooker. Pour over the warm stock, season well with black pepper and sea salt ( I love Maldon Smoked sea salt for this) then cover and allow to cook on high for at least 6 hours.
Just before going to the table check your seasoning, fish out your bay leaves and thyme stems then add 4 tbspns double cream. Serve with fresh crusty bread and butter.
Variations- easily vegetarianise by swapping to vegetable stock or go vegan swapping butter for rapeseed oil and forgoing the cream. If you don’t have time to soften the onions or warm the stock just put them in cold along with the butter and add an hour to the cooking time. This is intended as a light dish or starter/appetizer, it would work well with some baby potatoes added or carrots to make a heartier dish, use extra liquids also.
Food. Boom. 