This is the Wisconsin Hillbilly Boy version of the classic eighteenth century French Onion Soup. I don't feel bad stealing it, they stole it from the Romans anyway.
"What have the Romans ever done for us, really..."
FRESH PRODUCE
3 lbs of sweet yellow onions
4 nice shallots
½ clove garlic
DAIRY
1lb of Gruyère, Swiss, Provolone or Havarti cheese.
BAKERY
One loaf of a good sourdough bread.
SOUP ISLE
Beef bouillon*
SPICES / OILS
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
All Spice
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
BOOZE
6 bottles of lager or ale
* When it comes to bouillon please don’t get Wyler’s or Knorr brand, they are nothing more than beef or chicken scented bastard brine cubes. Spend a lil more money and get the good stuff or just make your own.
PREPARATION OF PRODUCE
Chop 2 lbs of the onions into ¼” pieces.
The remaining 1 lb should be cut in half from top to bottom and then sliced about ¼” thick in little half moon shapes. Now place each in their own bowl as you will be cooking these at separate times.
Coarsely chop the shallots.
Finally, finely chop the garlic.
Open 1 of the 6 beers and go sit outside and drink it until your eyes stop watering. If someone asks why you are crying I like to say weepily “This is a really good beer.”
When you beer is finished and your eyes are dry return to your kitchen and start the arduous process of caramelizing your 2 lbs of chopped onions. Personally for speed I use 3 large cast iron pans and add just enough onions to cover the bottom of the pan. Preheat your oil at medium-lowish and begin. Caramelizing onions can be tricky but basically its just sautéing the lil buggers to near death. It will take about 20 to 40 minutes per pan to get them to that deep golden reddish brown goodness. As the water starts to cook out of them they will start getting sticky, this is perfect. If the onions/oil starts to smoke, remove them from the heat immediately and lower the temp of your burner, you really don’t want little black flakes floating in your soup and the ‘scorched’ flavor ruins the finished product. Now when the onions in the pan are fully caramelized open another bottle of beer** and pour some in and cook off some of the water. This is called deglazing and it brings up all the flavor that is locked in the brown gluey sticky gunk that’s at the bottom of the pan. Repeat this ad infinitum until all the chopped onions are caramelized. Next sauté the remaining onions and garlic al dente. (slightly firm) The onion segregation is now complete and they can now peacefully cohabitate in the same stock pot. Open another beer and pour some in your mouth.
** If you don’t like beer, use a good red or white wine. The traditional recipe calls for wine, but being a native Wisconsinite I like beer.
Now mix up about 4 cups of beef bouillon and add it to the onions in the stock pot along with 2 bottles of beer, 2 cups of water, the chopped shallots, 1/4 teaspooon Allspice and some salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook uncovered for about 3 hours stirring frequently Now you should have 2 bottles of beer left, drink them, you deserve it. When it’s done simmering remove it from the burner and let it cool then refrigerate over night.
Before serving slowly heat the soup to a boil and simmer covered. Now thinly slice your sourdough and place them on a cookie sheet and toast them under your broiler. Slice your cheese thinly also.
Next you need bake safe serving bowls; I got mine at Wal-Mart for about $4.00 a piece, they are just small Corning Ware bake safe bowls. Now add the piping hot soup to the bowls, float some cheese on top and put under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble. (About 6 to 8 inches from the element works best for me.) It doesn’t take long. CAREFULLY remove them from the oven and place on serving plates; a damp paper napkin on the plate keeps the bowl from sliding. Garnish with fresh ground black pepper; serve with the toasted sourdough either resting on the melted cheese or on the side, that’s up to you.
This soup is an excellent appetizer for a standing rib roast, pot roast or steaks and goes great with any wine.
"What have the Romans ever done for us, really..."
FRESH PRODUCE
3 lbs of sweet yellow onions
4 nice shallots
½ clove garlic
DAIRY
1lb of Gruyère, Swiss, Provolone or Havarti cheese.
BAKERY
One loaf of a good sourdough bread.
SOUP ISLE
Beef bouillon*
SPICES / OILS
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
All Spice
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
BOOZE
6 bottles of lager or ale
* When it comes to bouillon please don’t get Wyler’s or Knorr brand, they are nothing more than beef or chicken scented bastard brine cubes. Spend a lil more money and get the good stuff or just make your own.
PREPARATION OF PRODUCE
Chop 2 lbs of the onions into ¼” pieces.
The remaining 1 lb should be cut in half from top to bottom and then sliced about ¼” thick in little half moon shapes. Now place each in their own bowl as you will be cooking these at separate times.
Coarsely chop the shallots.
Finally, finely chop the garlic.
Open 1 of the 6 beers and go sit outside and drink it until your eyes stop watering. If someone asks why you are crying I like to say weepily “This is a really good beer.”
When you beer is finished and your eyes are dry return to your kitchen and start the arduous process of caramelizing your 2 lbs of chopped onions. Personally for speed I use 3 large cast iron pans and add just enough onions to cover the bottom of the pan. Preheat your oil at medium-lowish and begin. Caramelizing onions can be tricky but basically its just sautéing the lil buggers to near death. It will take about 20 to 40 minutes per pan to get them to that deep golden reddish brown goodness. As the water starts to cook out of them they will start getting sticky, this is perfect. If the onions/oil starts to smoke, remove them from the heat immediately and lower the temp of your burner, you really don’t want little black flakes floating in your soup and the ‘scorched’ flavor ruins the finished product. Now when the onions in the pan are fully caramelized open another bottle of beer** and pour some in and cook off some of the water. This is called deglazing and it brings up all the flavor that is locked in the brown gluey sticky gunk that’s at the bottom of the pan. Repeat this ad infinitum until all the chopped onions are caramelized. Next sauté the remaining onions and garlic al dente. (slightly firm) The onion segregation is now complete and they can now peacefully cohabitate in the same stock pot. Open another beer and pour some in your mouth.
** If you don’t like beer, use a good red or white wine. The traditional recipe calls for wine, but being a native Wisconsinite I like beer.
Now mix up about 4 cups of beef bouillon and add it to the onions in the stock pot along with 2 bottles of beer, 2 cups of water, the chopped shallots, 1/4 teaspooon Allspice and some salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook uncovered for about 3 hours stirring frequently Now you should have 2 bottles of beer left, drink them, you deserve it. When it’s done simmering remove it from the burner and let it cool then refrigerate over night.
Before serving slowly heat the soup to a boil and simmer covered. Now thinly slice your sourdough and place them on a cookie sheet and toast them under your broiler. Slice your cheese thinly also.
Next you need bake safe serving bowls; I got mine at Wal-Mart for about $4.00 a piece, they are just small Corning Ware bake safe bowls. Now add the piping hot soup to the bowls, float some cheese on top and put under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble. (About 6 to 8 inches from the element works best for me.) It doesn’t take long. CAREFULLY remove them from the oven and place on serving plates; a damp paper napkin on the plate keeps the bowl from sliding. Garnish with fresh ground black pepper; serve with the toasted sourdough either resting on the melted cheese or on the side, that’s up to you.
This soup is an excellent appetizer for a standing rib roast, pot roast or steaks and goes great with any wine.
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