Ottolenghi and I love French Onion Soup for the Lockdown!
I love a hearty vegetarian soup for dinner. My live-in dining companion says, “No more Instant Pot bean soup! Give it a rest for at least for a week or two.” So what can I do that doesn’t take too long that would be different? I consulted with my hero, the London restauranteur, Yotam Ottolenghi, who publishes recipes in The Guardian newspaper and wasn’t surprised that he had already done a knock off of French Onion Soup he titled Hawaij Onion Soup. I consider myself a good knocker also and can shave about an hour and a half off his work and about 15 ingredients.
If you follow along with Ottolenghi you’ll be seasoning your soup with a Yemeni spice blend called hawaij. As it’s unlikely you have that in your cabinet you can easily assemble it with cumin, coriander, cardamom, fenugreek, turmeric plus more. He also adds chickpeas for heft. My companion is OVER chickpeas in any style which is sad for me because I like them. Ottolenghi and I agree pretty much about the quantity of onions and stock.
3 pounds of onion looks like a lot until they’ve been caramelized.
In my kitchen a mandolin or a food processor speeds up thinly slicing the onions. I caramelize the onions in butter, or olive oil—or a combination of the two creates the best flavor to me, and takes about 30 minutes to reach a nice dark color, being careful not to let them burn. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of dry vermouth, stirring to release all the bits stuck to the pan, until the vermouth is almost absorbed. The browning and the vermouth are super important for a rich flavor. Add one quart of beef or chicken stock and bring to a simmer. I happened to have beef stock I made in the freezer so the result was better than with purchased stock, but that’s not enough reason to skip making the soup. Season with salt and pepper to suit you. Garnish with cheese toast. It’s not necessary to burn the toast as I did. If you have a lazy afternoon available to follow along with Ottolenghi’s Hawaij Onion Soup, please do so and enjoy the full benefits of the cooking and the eating. If not, follow me for a quick and satisfying version of French Onion Soup.