French Onion Soup
Why French Onion Soup? Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Shallots, and Elephant Garlic (not a true garlic, more a leek) all are delicious together in French Onion Soup.
I like to chop instead of slice onions, it makes it much easier to maneuver onions on a spoon when I'm eating it. The members of the allium family are onions, shallots, leeks, elephant garlic and garlic. They are similar flavors that marry well. These are all toxic to cats and dogs, so no sharing with our furry loved ones! How much is 5 lbs of alliums? Imagine onions the size of a softball, that is just a little less than a pound, so to begin, 5 or 6 softball sized onions. (or an equivalent amount of smaller onions)
Combine 5 lbs of chopped onions, leeks, shallots, and elephant garlic sautéed in 8 oz of butter or olive oil. Cook these down until they begin to brown (caramelize).
Add 2 quarts of broth. (chicken, vegetable, beef), 1 cup of dry red wine, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 bay leaves, 4 large chopped cloves of garlic, 2 cups of tomatoes (puree, stewed, fresh, sauce), and 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce.
Cook this down, reducing the volume until you have a velvetty textured soup. Salt and pepper to taste. No need to thicken it. Put it in small oven safe dishes, top with crusty toasted bread cubes or slices, add 1/2 cup swiss cheese to the top each and bake until the cheese is bubbly. And enjoy!