Aunt Ginny's French Onion Soup

This recipe almost makes winter bearable because it is so delicious and arguably my favorite soup recipe of all time. I don’t understand why all restaurants can’t get on board with using veggie broth so that this soup can always be vegetarian! There are so many times when I want to order French Onion Soup when I am out at a restaurant, but often I am crushed when I find out that the establishment uses beef broth. My Aunt Ginny’s Vegetarian French Onion Soup recipe is top-notch. It uses one of my favorite cheeses called Gruyere. Gruyere is a fancy version of Swiss cheese, but even people who hate Swiss usually still love the taste.

Whenever I make this recipe, I somehow feel very connected to Julia Child as I am slicing the onions and I want my guests to feel like the goddess herself just made them a delicious recipe when they come over. Usually, I make this soup on a blisteringly cold night where you feel like you are in an old Campbell Soup commercial—you know the one—when the snowman comes inside to a hot bowl of soup and morphs into a little redheaded boy. Only this soup is homemade and very, very delicious. This soup is also a remedy for making a bad day into a good one.

The version of French onion soup that I make is named after my Aunt Ginny because she is the one who taught me how to make this spectacular soup for supper. If you read my blog often, you will note that my aunts really kill it in the soup department since I posted about my Aunt Elena’s cabbage soup a few months ago. Aunt Ginny made this for me once when I was very little and I remember thinking that I had never tasted a soup quite this delicious. My mom makes this exact recipe as well and it’s a Wolfson family favorite. It freezes very well too, so make some extra!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and even though it goes against every rule (onion breath) as long as the two of you have onion breath together, you’ll barely even notice. Your taste buds will be so satisfied and that matters more when you are with the one you truly love!

Tips before making this recipe: Slicing onions makes for a tearing experience... In order to reduce crying in your kitchen, slice cold onions near a flame and use a sharp knife, as it cuts better and deteriorates fewer cells that cause tearing to happen.

Aunt Ginny's French Onion Soup

Author: Michele Wolfson

Serves: 6 bowls

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 big sweet onions or 3 medium, thinly sliced

  • 3 TBS butter

  • 1 TBS olive oil

  • 1/2 cup red wine

  • 1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste and pepper (optional, can use white pepper)

  • 3 TBS of all-purpose flour, (make sure this is a true 3 TBS and NOT heaping).

  • 4 cups of vegetable broth

  • 1/2 loaf of French bread/Baguette, sliced (doesn't have to be day fresh bread).

  • 1/2 pound Gruyere Cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Heat the oil and butter in the pot on medium-low heat. Then, sauté garlic and onions for 3 minutes.

  3. Add 1/4 cup of red wine and increase the heat to medium.

  4. Add salt & pepper then continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Stir frequently and lower the heat if necessary to avoid burning the onions. They should be golden brown and soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (The onions should be fairly sweet at this point).

  5. Sprinkle the flour and cook slowly on medium-low, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes.

  6. Add broth and simmer for 15 minutes.

  7. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls.

  8. Throw the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast under hard and crunchy. If you want, you can break these into smaller pieces. Then, top each bowl with a layer of bread so that it's enough to cover the whole surface. The bread acts as the floatation device for the cheese. Sprinkle grated Gruyere cheese and sprinkle on top of the bread.

  9. Place to bowls in the oven and bake or heat under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown.