French onion soup
Are you hosting a lunch on 5th June for Eat For The Earth?
On the 5th June, homes throughout the country (and, perhaps the world) will be filled with good food and good friends, all raising money for a great cause, Soil For Life.
Here, Stefan Marais, chef at Societi Bistro in Cape Town, shares a winning menu to inspire your Eat For The Earth lunch. Download the printable recipe.
Stefan’s Eat For The Earth Menu
French onion soup
Roasted vegetable autumn salad
Nothing warms you up better than a good French onion soup. It is so simple to make and lots of fun – just watch those fingers when slicing the onions.
Look for onions that have a sweet/sour taste as the acid and sugar play well together to make a well-flavoured soup. This recipe is also great if you make it the day before, just warm it up again in a large pot and you are ready to go – the perfect starter for an Eat For The Earth lunch!
Ingredients (serves 6):
60g butter
6 onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced (each slice approximately 3mm)
1 heaped teaspoon plain flour
2 glasses dry white wine, brought to a quick boil (to cook off the alcohol)
2 litres boiling water
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crusty baguette – sliced 1cm thick
200g Gruyère cheese, grated
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Melt the butter in a large, thick-based pot.
3. Add the onions before the butter takes on any colour. Allow to soften for about 5 minutes and season generously with salt and pepper. Continue caramelising the onions for at least another half an hour. You want them to have a rich brown colour all over. Keep stirring the pot to prevent them from burning.
4. Sprinkle the flour onto a tray and bake in the oven until lightly coloured. Add the sugar to the onions at this stage.
5. Add the toasted flour into the pot and stir through thoroughly.
6. Stir in the boiled white wine and whisk.
7. Gradually feed in the boiling water, constantly whisking. Cook for about 15 minutes, skimming off any impurities that may rise to the surface.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
9. Sprinkle the Gruyère on to the bread slices and toast in the oven, allowing the cheese to melt all over the bread.
Serve the soup in warm bowls with the cheesy toast floating on top.
And there we have it – the perfect starter for an autumnal lunch.
For more Eat For The Earth inspiration, check out menus by Pete Goffe-Wood.
If you haven’t already registered your Eat For The Earth lunch on Sunday 5th June, register now and tell your friends all about it.