French Onion Soup

(Serves  4-5)

Even without garlic, this is an incredibly tasty dish – and so easy to make!

Ingredients:

         2.2 lb (1 kg) onions
         2 oz (56g) butter
         ¼ cup crushed black pepper
         1 glass white wine (optional)
         4 Oxo or beef stock cubes
         1 ¼ pints ( 0.59 ltrs) of water
         1 ½ tbl spoon white sugar
         1 ½ tbl spoon sherry
         Croutons – small cubes toasted bread.
         ¼ cup grated cheese

Preparation:

Heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan with the butter and black pepper.

Peel and half the onions; thinly slice and add to the butter and black pepper; cook for approx 3 minutes stirring constantly.

Add sugar, continuously stirring until the onions are brown and are becoming caramelized.

Add the water, white wine and crumbled up Oxo cubes (or equivalent). Boil for 20 minutes.

Taste and add salt to season according to your tastes. Remove from heat and add sherry just before serving; along with croutons covered with a little cheese (parmesan is usual) to garnish the soup.

Tasty Croutons can be easily made by making a little roasted cheese on toast; leaving to cool, and cutting up into little cubes!

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Potato & Vegetable Soup

(Serves 6-8)

Great soup for a cold winters day!

Ingredients:

         1 lb (454g) carrots
         ¾ lb (340g)parsnips
         1 leek (chopped)
         ¼ swede/turnip
         5 large potatoes
         1 large onion
         ½ tbl spoon dried mixed herbs
         Lamb shank
         2 pints (0.94 ltrs) water

Preparation:

Clean and dice half of the carrots, parsnips, and turnip. Grate the other half.

Dice the  onion and chop the potatoes into reasonable sized cubes.

Fill a large pot with the water, and add the diced onion and the lamb shank along with the herbs; with salt and black pepper to taste.

Add the diced and grated vegetables, including the chopped leek.

Bring to the boil for approx 60 minutes, then remove the lamb shank. Separate the meat from the lamb shank, chopping up into pieces; then return the meat to the soup.

 

Freezes well.

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