JUNE 2015
Thekgourmet
sher
Shelley Geffen serves up some warm winter comfort foods
Serves 6
METHOD
1
First make the croutons – begin by drizzling the olive oil on to a large, solid
baking sheet, add the crushed garlic and
then, using your hands, spread the oil and
garlic all over the baking sheet.
Now place the bread slices on top of the
oil, then turn over each one so that both
sides have been lightly coated with the oil.
Bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes till crispy and crunchy.
Next, place the saucepan or casserole on
a high heat and melt the oil and margarine together. When this is very hot, add
the onions, garlic and sugar, and keep turning them from time to time until the edges
of the onions have turned dark – this will
take about 6 minutes.
Then reduce the heat to its lowest setting
and leave the onions to carry on cooking,
very slowly, for about 30 minutes, by which
time the base of the pan will be covered with
a rich, nut brown, caramelised film. After
that, pour in the stock and white wine, season, then stir with a wooden spoon, scraping
the base of the pan well.
As soon as it all comes up to simmering
point, turn down the heat to its lowest
setting, then go away and leave it to cook
very gently, without a lid, for about 1 hour.
All this can be done in advance, but when
you’re ready to serve the soup, bring it back
up to simmering point, and taste to check
for seasoning.
Warm the tureen or soup bowls in a low
oven and preheat the grill to its highest setting. Then ladle in the hot soup and top
with croutons, allowing them to float on top
of the soup.
Serve immediately – and don’t forget to warn
your guests that everything is very hot!
2
3
4
5
FRENCH ONION SOUP
There are few things more comforting than making a real French
onion soup – slowly cooked, caramelised onions that turn
mellow and sweet in a broth laced with white wine. The whole
thing is finished off with crunchy baked croutons of crusty
bread. This is a winter stomach-warmer.
INGREDIENTS
700g onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
50g margarine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ level teaspoon granulated sugar
1.2 litres good parev stock
275ml dry white wine
Salt & freshly milled black pepper
68 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 85
For the croutons
French bread, cut into 2.5cm
diagonal slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
To serve
6 large or 12 small croutons
Preheat the oven to 180ºC
6