French Onion Soup

My Dad's visit has come to an end, he is safely back in England and I miss him dearly. The day he left and the few days following were miserable. We had such a fantastic time. Not only did he take with him some lovely memories, pictures, and souvenirs, he also took the weather! For his entire visit the weather was beautiful. Perfectly warm and sunny during the day as well as wonderfully crisp and chilly in the evening. However, the moment he left the weather took a turn for the worse! Rain and dreariness all around!

So, to make the most of the dreary weather and to alleviate my grey mood, I am turning to pure comfort food. Otherwise known as.. French Onion Soup!

Sweet caramelized onions simmered in a rich beef stock, topped with a thick slice of french bread that is covered with ridiculous amounts of melted, bubbly cheese...Delicious!

The secret to a good French Onion Soup is 'Patience'. Caramelizing the onions is time consuming but essential to this dish. You need approximately one hour or more of cooking time for the onions to slowly release their natural sugars and to become completely caramelized.

After the caramelization process, some add Cognac, Sherry, red or white wine to deglaze the pan and to add depth of flavour to the soup. In my opinion, sherry produces the most "authentic" taste.

Another tip is to simmer the soup slowly for as long as possible to ensure all of those wonderful ingredients have plenty of time to mingle.

The type of cheese that is traditionally used in French Onion Soup is 'Gruyere'. If this is not available you could substitute sharp Cheddar or any other good melting cheese.



Chopping all of those onions can be a daunting and tearful process, but whenever I am about to get up close and personal with a large amount of onions I am always armed with a newly sharpened chef knife and my onion goggles! They may look ridiculous, but I'm telling you, they work!

Serves 4-6

3 tbls butter
6 large yellow onions, halved and sliced ( This will seem like a very large amount of onions, but once caramelized they will reduce significantly in volume. )
8 cups beef stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen string
2 bay leaves
4-6 slices of day old french bread
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere

Over a medium heat, melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot (I used my 7 qt Le Creuset pot). Add sliced onions and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Note: Your pot will be full with onions, however, in time they will cook down.
Cook onions, stirring occasionally for about 45-50 minutes. At this point the onions should be golden and slightly sticky. Adjust heat if necessary. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a further 20-25 minutes or until the onions are brown, sticky and the bottom of the pan has accumulated a delicious dark brown glaze.

Increase heat and add sherry scraping up all the crispy bits. Once sherry has evaporated add the beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently for two hours, stirring every now and then. Remove and discard herbs, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Note: This part can be made up to two days ahead. Just reheat before ladling into bowls and adding croutons.

10 minutes before serving, toast the french bread. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and top each one with a slice of toasted bread. Top with generous amounts of cheese and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly.



Serve with a small glass of Sherry if desired.

Chorizo, Sweet Potato & Butterbean Soup with Feta & Thyme Toasts

The Summer has officially ended and the belly warming food season has begun! I thought I would kick things off with this deliciously warming soup.

This chunky soup (or stew if you like) is everything you could possibly want on a chilly Autumn night. Made mostly from store cupboard ingredients, it is simple, hearty, healthy, and full of flavour.

Chorizo and beans are made for each other, but by adding tomatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes as well as crispy feta toast to the dish, a mouth watering combination is created.

I love the addition of sweet potatoes in this soup. Their natural sweetness is a wonderful contrast to the somewhat spicy chorizo. Butternut squash would also be very good. For this recipe, I like to roast the sweet potatoes first and add them to the soup near the end. This way they don't break into a soggy mush. This may be OK for some recipes but here, the soup is already quite thick. You can even throw in some greens if you like. Maybe some Swiss chard or kale would be good?

Either way this soup is not to be ignored. So, get your comfy's on, pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready for some belly warming yumminess!

Serves 4

For the soup:

150g dry-cured Spanish chorizo, skinned and roughly chopped
1 14 oz can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
60ml white wine
400ml chicken stock
1 large sweet potato
1 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbls tomato paste
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp sugar

For the feta and thyme toasts:



4-6 slices of ciabatta or french baguette about 1/2 inch thick
4 heaped tbls crumbled feta cheese
2 tbls olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 375F

Scrub sweet potatoes. (No need to peel). Cut into 1-2cm chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 15 minutes or until crisp and browned.

Heat 1 tbls olive oil in a large pan and fry chorizo until it starts to crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside onto a paper towel. Add onion to the pan and cook until just softened. Add the garlic and paprika and cook for a further 30 seconds or so. Add chorizo back to the pan followed by the white wine, scraping up any crispy bits . Once the wine has evaporated add the stock, tomato paste, tomatoes and sugar. Season and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Add butter beans and cook for a further 5- 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted sweet potatoes and serve.

About 10 minutes before the soup is completed, prepare the feta and thyme toasts. Mix together the olive oil, feta, garlic and thyme until creamy. Spread equal amounts onto each slice of bread. Place under a preheated grill or broiler for 2-3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve with the soup.

Halloumi Parcels with Lemon, Chili & Thyme

Halloumi is a magic cheese with a stubborn streak. When exposed to extreme temperatures it simply refuses to melt!

Instead, it retains its firm shape and develops a beautiful crisp exterior with just the right amount of internal gooeyness. Originating from Cyprus, this squeaky, tangy, somewhat salty cheese is made from a combination of sheep and goat's milk.
It is wonderfully versatile and can be grilled or fried within minutes, making it the ideal choice for an appetizer or quick snack. It also works well as a meat alternative and is a great accompaniment to a couscous or lentil salad. Delicious!

For something simple serve halloumi sliced and grilled with nothing more than some freshly squeezed lemon juice. For something fancy try today's dish inspired by a recipe from BBC Good Food. I changed the ingredients and cooking method slightly and found that the new variation of flavours complimented each other beautifully.

Makes 4 Parcels

200g block Halloumi cut into 4 slices
4 coloured peppers
4 18" pieces of kitchen string that have been soaked in water for 20 minutes

Marinade:
1 tbls olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbls) plus 1 tsp zest
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
Black pepper

Mix the marinade ingredients together thoroughly and pour over the halloumi slices. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 24 hours.
Place peppers (whole) in a 450F preheated oven. Roast until just soft enough to wrap around the cheese. About 25-30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so. When cool enough to handle, make a cut down the side of each pepper to open it out. The skin can easily be removed at this point, if preferred.
Remove seeds and trim into neat strips. Place a slice of halloumi in the center of each strip then carefully wrap the pepper around it.



Tie each one with the kitchen string.
The parcels can now be refrigerated for up to 2 hours. When ready to serve, place parcels under a preheated broiler or grill for about 3-4 minutes per side or until the cheese begins to soften and brown at the ends. Serve immediately. Garnish with pretty herbs like mint or thyme.

Note: If you're short on time, skip the peppers and just grill the cheese on it's own, basting frequently with the marinade. You could always top with some roasted red peppers from a jar mixed with a few olives or herbs!