French Onion Soup with Bacon and Croutons
Recipe Images
Ingredients
6 medium red onions, halved and sliced thick
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/2 glass of red wine
4 cups beef stock – ideally made from the remains of a roast beef joint
4 oz smoked bacon lardons
1 tsp thyme
Day old "country bread" (or your favorite bread) cut into cubes for croutons
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Grated parmesan cheese for garnishing
Here's a cheap, cheerful and fantastically satisfying winter lunch dish based on traditional French onion soup. Makes great use of roast beef leftovers.
Directions
Melt butter and add olive oil to a large saucepan.
Add onions and salt over a very low heat and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramelized.
Add garlic. Stir for another minute, then add the sugar.
Pour in your red wine, scraping to deglaze the pan.
Add chopped beef leftovers and lardons. Fry for five minutes.
Add stock and thyme and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Prepare your croutons by adding the cubed bread to some hot olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and fry until golden.
Ladle the soup into bowls garnished with croutons and grated parmesan.
Additional Notes
The stock can be made from a stock cube, but for extra flavor boil the remains of a roast beef joint for at least 30 minutes with a carrot, onion, bay leaf and some peppercorns. Then add a stock cube to boost the flavor.
