Simple French Onion soup

On a cold day, soup is such a luxury to have, especially when it is homemade.

Most people assume that French Onion soup is a delicacy sometimes enjoyed at steakhouses or upscale restaurants, but my grandma has always had a simple and easy recipe that she passed down to my mother and now to me.

Not only is this soup extremely easy to make, you don’t even need an oven (as most households in Japan do not have the space to carry what is a norm in the United States), just a small toaster oven will suffice and you can impress your spouse or any family member with this soul warming dish.

Grandma’s Simple French Onion Soup

Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cups of sliced onions (2 medium size onions) 5 cups of hot water 5 beef boullion cubes (consomme) 4 slices of french bread (cut in half depending on size of serving bowls) 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella (or any cheese that melts) 1 teaspoon dried basil Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium size pot add the olive oil and butter on low to medium heat. Mix in the onions and continually stir till they are translucent and tender. Please be careful not to burn the onions.

2. Add the hot water along with the beef boullion and gently stir until the boullion dissolves. You well see a change in the broth to a nice brown color. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. On low heat let the soup simmer for around 30 minutes.

3. Use a spoon or ladle to add the soup into oven safe serving bowls (ceramic) leaving room to place the bread on top of each. Layer each bowl with cheese and a dash of salt and pepper.

4. Heat up the toaster oven and place the bowls inside. This heating process does not take too long as the cheese melts relatively quickly, so as soon you can see the cheese bubbling and browning slightly, remove from toaster oven. (As the bowls may get very hot, be careful when removing).

Now the cheese should be melted on top the dry toasted bread, but underneath is the delicious onion soup, so at your own leisure break the bread with spoon (I sometimes just use my fingers) and dip deeper into the soup to enjoy these flavors all together.

© Japan Today