Onion (French) Soup - Dinner on "O" Day

It's dinner time on "O" day and I'm using ONIONS

I made French Onion Soup. This is surely comforting and warm on any cool night. The sweetness of the caramelized onions gives this soup an all around savoury goodness, without being too rich. This soup does not taste like onions at all. Yummy! 

Servings: 4 

Ingredients

4 large yellow sweet onions, peeled and sliced into half moon slices
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme, chopped
1/2 cup Sherry (Dry, with alcohol - it cooks away so no worries)
4 cups no or low sodium Beef stock
1 cup grated sharp cheddar or Swiss cheese
4 Slices of crusty bread, cut into bite size chunks and toasted in oven
Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1/2 Tbsp of salt or so)

Directions

1. Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter, let the butter melt and add in the onions, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 to 30 minutes stirring frequently or until the onions develop a beautiful deep caramelized brown colour.

2. Add the sherry and thyme and cook for about 1 minute, turn the heat to medium high, add the beef broth and season with salt and pepper again. Let it come to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Preheat your broiler to high.

4. Ladle the soup in some oven safe bowls and top them with the bread and cheese, pop them under the broiler for just a couple minutes or until the cheese melts and its all bubbly and golden brown. 

Enjoy!

ONIONS

With their unique combination of flavonoids and sulfar-containing nutrients, the onion, belongs in your diet on a daily basis. The high content of flavonoids in onions tend to be more concentrated in the outer layers of the flesh. You should always peel off as little as the outer layer as possible to maximize your health benefits. 

The nutrients in onions can lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and improve cell membrane function in red blood cells. Eating onions along with vegetables will aid in the prevention of heart attacks. 

Onions can also help increase bone density and lower risk of hip fractures in post menopausal women, when eaten on a regular basis.

The flavonoid, quercetin, contained in onions, helps prevent bacterial infection. Especially in regards to tooth cavities and gum disease bacteria. But is mostly beneficial when eaten in freshly cut raw form, on a regular basis. 

By using a low-heat method for preparing onion soup, you can preserve the health benefits that are associated with this flavonoid.

Onions were highly regarded by the Egyptians. They used them as currency to pay the workers who built the pyramids and they also placed them in the tombs of kings, such as Tutankhamen, as a gift. 

Onions, chopped, cooked
(1 cup)

Biotin  27 %
Manganese 16 %
Copper  16 %
Vitamin B6  16 %
Vitamin C  15 %
Fiber  12 %
Phosphorus  11 %
Potassium  10 %
Vitamin B1 8 %
Folate 8 %


Are you indulging, daily, in the goodness of Onions?