Comfort Food Season!

Hello again, friends!  Yes, it’s been way too long since I’ve made a post, but I promise that this one is worth your time!

August is nearly halfway in the books, and that means a couple of things to most red-blooded Americans: Fall is nearly here, and FOOTBALL is about to start!  Well, why not kick off your Fantasy Football Draft or NFL Gameday with an easy, yet mildly sophisticated, option that’s sure to please even the most discerning of palettes.  I mean wings and brats are a staple, to be sure, but why not dial it up a notch with some international flair?  Basically, what I'm trying to say is that football season also means that it's comfort food season.

In that spirit, I give you FRENCH ONION SOUP!

Wait, French onion soup?  Yep, your eyesight is fine.  French onion soup, while not a standard Gameday offering by any stretch, it certainly is a staple of Fall, comfort-foody days where you just want to curl up with something warm other that your dog or significant other.  And if your favorite team is on their bye week, then what better way to pay it back to your favorite someone than comfort food, a nice bottle of wine (aside from the one in the soup), and a movie?  You can always do wings and brats next week…

Ok, so it’s really simple and I'll break it down Barney-style for you.  You melt butter, add onions (no fancy knife work required on those hot-rods), garlic and herbs, wine, and beef stock.  Then there’s the small matter of adding heat.  Pretty simple, right?  Just nod.  I’m right.

Here’s what you’ll need:

- 4 onions, sliced
- ½ c. unsalted butter (one stick out of the package)
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh thyme, about 5 sprigs or to taste (I don’t think you can really overdo it here)
- ½ bottle of red wine (any $10 or less bottle will do, and dryer is better)
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 2 quarts (64oz.) beef stock or broth
- Salt and pepper
- Stale or day-old crusty bread (Italian, sourdough, French, etc., and it doesn’t have to be old), sliced
- about ½ to ¾ cup of grated Gruyere cheese per serving, or as you see fit

And here’s what you do, expanding on my previous explanation:

Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally to keep the onions from burning, until the onions have softened and caramelized, about 25 minutes.  Add the wine and reduce quite a bit until it doesn’t look soupy anymore and/or the onions appear to have absorbed most of it, about 10-15 minutes.  Now reduce the heat to medium-low and dust it with the flour.  2 Tbs. should just about do it, but after you stir it up, it should look just a bit pasty.  Keep the heat on medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the flour taste is gone.  Now add the beef stock/broth and stir.  Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium / medium-low and simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.  When ready to serve, ladle into crocks or bowls, place bread on top of the soup, and top with the cheese.  Broil on low until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.  Enjoy and make ready for compliments.

Ok, doesn’t that sound easy?  Just to recap, it really is just as simple as melting butter, adding stuff, waiting, adding more stuff, waiting, adding a little more stuff, and then adding bread and melting cheese on top.  Ker-blam.

So that’s my way of wishing you a happy Fall, and the opening of comfort-food season.  Before you know it (as long as I don’t get sidetracked for another several months), I’ll be posting some great family recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, and getting ready to kick off 2015 with something awesome…as soon as I figure out what that is.  As always, my friends, thanks for taking the time to visit my site, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments; and by all means if you improve on any of my recipes, I’m all ears!  Cheers, my friends!

Oh, and one more thing: you’re welcome J

-Aaron