The bread and cheese are my favorite parts of the soup :lol: . Otherwise it's just something you pour over a potroast before you throw it in the crock pot.
Try this:
8 whole onions, stems trimmed, tied in a cheese cloth
3 pints of water
1 cleaned and trimmed stalk of celery, chopped
2 cleaned and trimmed carrots, chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
a knob of ginger
a garni of your favorite available herbs
1 tbs of whole black peppercorns
1 oz fruity vinegar
Note: the salt is necessary for a chemical reaction which brings out the flavor of vegetables, including the onions, yet it is such a small amount, the sodium level will not effect those who need to avoid dietary sodium
Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart covered pot, allow to simmer for 2 hours. Mark the outside of the pot with a water soluble marker at the liquid height. Every 15 minutes, stir to prevent pot bottom burn of the ingredients, and add water if necessary to reach the height of the mark on the exterior of the pot. Remove from heat, allow to cool for handling.
Remove the garni and the onions. Now pour the broth through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard all solid ingredients remaining in the sieve. If I'm cooking for more than two I multiply this basic recipe accordingly. When cooking for two, I divide the broth into 3 separate 1 pint containers, 1 pint for immediate soup base consumption, 1 pint for the freezer for later use, and 1 pint for cooking rice. Remove the onions from the cheesecloth after cooling for handling, remove the onion skins, slice and return to the broth.
Dependent on what I have in the fridge, leftover chicken breast, pork roast, beef, shrimp, whatever, I place 2-3 ounces in any combination, sliced or cubed into that same 2 qt pot. I then add a sliced small carrot, a slice or 2 of bok choy or another cabbage, a handful of cooked or canned, drained and rinsed white beans, 2 ounces of any type of available pasta, broken into small pieces if necessary (like a spaghetti broken into quarters), 2 or 3 sliced mushrooms dependent on size, a leftover cooked turnip or parsnip sliced, pieces of frozen artichoke hearts, or a couple of thin sliced jerusalem artichokes (aka sun chokes), hot sauce to taste if desired, a pint of the onion broth and I cook at a low temperature until the pasta is finished with the pot covered (about 7-8 minutes). Nothing wrong with including a favorite dumpling or two. I place some broccoli florets in the bottom of two serving bowls, distribute the soup and garnish with 3-4 slices of avocado. Serve with a favorite toasted bread or fresh out of the oven bread. Soup du jour. There's nothing wrong with minimizing the additional ingredients, and using a basic onion soup as an accompaniment to a favorite sandwich, other than peanut and jelly.
For the rice, 1 cup of your favorite rice, preferably a brown, mahogany, or wild rice, a pat of butter, a pint of the broth and cook at a low temperature in a 1 qt covered pot until all the liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork. Season as you prefer. Before, while or after cooking. All for a great onion flavored rice. You can do this with any broth, chicken, beef, vegetable. Better than the usual rice made with water.
Here's the kicker, if using an arborio rice, add some grated parmesan for a risotto. The better risottos are made with chicken broths, but the Italian chef secret is to use an onion broth and kick up the amount of parmesan. A risotto requires a lot of stirring to release the starches in the rice for an almost pudding or porridge like texture. Risottos are always worth the effort.
