Simple French Onion Soup
Winter has made a serious appearance today. “Like a Nor-Easter, but no snow..”, they said. And I just got back from a week in a much warmer climate. It’s too cold for me; it’s time for some serious comfort food.
I’m thinking of home-cooked onion soup, rich stock, caramelized onions, crusty bread, toasty, melty cheese. The real pain is the time it takes to caramelize the onions. But perhaps a bit of technology will help me here. I’ll use my Instapot to caramelize several pounds of onions, then build my soup based on that.
From Wikipeida:
French onion soup (French: soupe à l’oignon [sup a lɔɲɔ̃]) is a soup of onions, gently fried and then cooked in meat stock or water, usually served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of bread covered with cheese floating on top. Onion soups were known in France since medieval times, but the version now familiar dates from the mid-19th century.
First of all, the Onions:
InstaPot Onions
Equipment
- 1 InstaPot
Ingredients
- 2 lb Yellow Onions sliced to 1/2"
- 1 lb Sweet Onions Vidalia or other, sliced to 1/2"
- 2 tbsp Butter small chunks
- 2 tsp Salt Kosher
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Coarse grind or smal crack
- 1 cup White Wine Dry. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
Instructions
- Add onions, butter, salt, and pepper to the container of an Instant Pot or other multi-use pressure cooker and stir to combine.
- Cook on the high "Pressure Cook" setting for 2 minutes. Once the cycle is complete, immediately release the pressure. Carefully remove the lid.
- Drain excess liquid from onions and return them to pot.
- Cook over a high "Saute" setting, stirring constantly, until the onions are deeply golden and caramelized. Depending on the onions and the amount of liquid they have released, this can take 10-30 minutes.
- Add white wine and cook down again until wine is evaporated.
- Remove from heat and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Toppings: Use caramelized onions for burgers, pizza, flatbread, tartlets, or crusty bread.
- In sandwiches: Add caramelized onions to a veggie panini with kale and melted fontina cheese.
- In sandwiches: Add caramelized onions to a veggie panini with kale and melted fontina cheese.
- In appetizers: Serve caramelized onions with crispy crostini for an appetizer.
- In quiches and frittatas: Stir caramelized onions into a quiche or frittata for breakfast.
- In omelets: Top an omelet with caramelized onions.
- In meatloaf: Add caramelized onions for a sweeter taste.
- In hummus: Use caramelized onions to make hummus.
- In soups, stews, and braises: Add caramelized onions to soups, stews, and braises for a deep, sweet, umami flavor.
Nutrition
And then the main event of the soup.
InstaPot French Onion Soup
Equipment
- 1 InstaPot
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups Caramelized Onions See This Post
- 4 cups Beef Broth Low Sodium (Make your own)
- 1 cup Dry Red Wine
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tbsp Worcestershite Sauce
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Seasned Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Coarse grind or light crack
- 2 ea Bay Leaves
- Croutons Make your own
- Provolone/Swiss/Gruyere Slices Cooks Choice
- Shaved Asiago A taste Kick
Instructions
- OPTIONAL – to melt cheese on the final dish – Preheat oven to 350
- Add the onions, broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper and bay leaves to the instapot
- Give it a stir and secure the lid.
- Hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” for 8 minutes. Quick release when done.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Taste, season, balance the soup
- Ladle the soup into the crocks until it’s just below the brim. Layer the croutons on top of the soup so that it serves as a foundation for the cheese.
- Seal with 1-2 slices of cheese, top with some Asiago if using.
- Place the crock on a baking tray lined with tin foil and pop into the oven for 5 mins or until the top begins to bubble, turns slightly brown and forms a cheese-like crust.
Nutrition
Filed
under: American, Autumn, Braise, French, Ingredient, InstaPot, Soup, Winter
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