Hugelhaus Onion Soup

When I was a youngster one of my favorite meals was a lunch that consisted of cream of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I still love that combination and often make it now. The soup doesn’t come out of a can like it did in my youth. I have come to love creating my own soups. Cream of tomato is hard to beat and making it with fresh from the garden tomatoes makes it heavenly.

Another favorite of mine is french onion soup. Typically, the liquid in french onion soup is beef broth. For most folks that is fine. For others, vegetarians, vegans and those allergic to beef, another option is needed to make the broth in this soup rich and delicious. Tho I am not a fan of thin soups, the sauteed onions, chunky croutons and melted cheese make this soup hearty and filling. I fall into the vegetarian and beef allergy categories. Hence my own creation here of a much loved soup.

Through trial and error I have created an onion soup that has a flavor filled broth made using dry red wine, tomato paste, water and seasonings. No beef or chicken broth is used. I use butter to saute the onion, but for vegans and lactose intolerant folks, olive oil works just as well. Roasted garlic cloves add a layer of warmth to the peppery broth. I always add cheese but it can be omitted without any loss to the deep, rich flavor of this soup.

Soups come in many forms. Thick, thin, meaty, full of vegetables. Pasta and rice filled soups. Plain broth or so many ingredients broth is barely noticeable. Creamy soups with velvet consistency you can sip from the bowl, and chunky soups you could eat with a fork.

Chicken soup for the common cold and the soul. Cold soups in the heat of summer made from zucchini, cucumber and other vegetables and a potato and leek version known as vichyssoise. A winter hike is made warmer by a thermos full of soup and a pot of soup simmering on the stove top warms the kitchen and makes a house smell like home.

Soup can begin a meal as a first course. And of course it can BE the meal. The healing properties of soup are to be lauded. The benefits of creating, simmering and enjoying a bowl or cup of soup are many. You can follow a recipe or you can stretch your creative imagination and simmer your own blend of ingredients to your own liking. There is nothing like homemade.

For my recipe here, you will need:

8 cups of peeled, thinly sliced onion. I use 2 very large Vidalia onions and one very large red onion.

4 TB butter or 2 to 3 TB olive oil

3 TB tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups water

Several fresh grinds of salt and pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

several cloves (8 or 10) of roasted garlic

several thick slices of bread

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a large (8 quart) enameled dutch oven melt 4 TB butter (or heat the olive oil) over low heat. Once the butter is just melted add prepared onions, tomato paste, 1/2 cup of dry red wine and one cup of water. Salt and pepper generously. Stir well and let the mixture simmer over medium/low heat until the onions are tender and beginning to caramelize. Most of the liquid will have cooked down.

Add to the onion mixture the remaining 1/2 cup of dry red wine, and one cup of water. Add a teaspoon of dried thyme and the roasted garlic cloves. More or less of each to taste. Cover the dutch oven and simmer on low heat for at least one hour. Stir occasionally. I simmer my soup for 2 to 3 hours. This allows the onions to become very soft and saturated with the flavors from the broth mixture.

Once the soup has simmered for at least one hour, remove the dutch oven from the stove top. Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the hot soup mixture.

Using a bread knife cut thick bread slices into 1 inch cubes. Place the bread cubes on a baking pan and place in the heated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until they are beginning to brown slightly. Remove the pan from the oven and place the toasted bread cubes on top of the soup and Parmesan cheese.

Then, cover the bread cubes with the grated sharp cheddar. Place the dutch oven, uncovered, in the 375 degree oven and bake until the cheese is fully melted on the bread cubes and the soup is just beginning to bubble.

I have (shown in the small bowl previous photo) cooked some bacon and broken it into bits to sprinkle on the soup once it has been ladled into bowls. This gives the meat lovers in my family a bit of protein and a crunch of meaty flavor. It is entirely optional.

On a cold, late January evening, this soup was a one pot meal and it did more than fill our bellies with homemade comfort. It warmed our souls, warmed our home, and reminded us of our MANY BLESSINGS…