Cheesy Vegetarian French Onion Soup

French onion soup is the perfect cheesy delight

     One of my favorite gooey, cheesy, guilty pleasures is French onion soup. I always think of it as being a restaurant staple, as they broil it. Dishes that come out sizzling seem somehow more difficult. But it’s actually not at all true. If you have a soup pot and a broiler, it is easy to make French onion soup.

     When I order it at restaurants, it is delicious but often too salty. I can only eat a few bites before I’m reaching for my water glass. But mmm are those few bites delicious! In an attempt to remedy this problem, I make a vegetarian version, substituting organic, low sodium mushroom broth for beef broth. Mushrooms lend the same underlying meatiness that beef flavor does, but without all the grease and salt. I also add one to two cups of water to the soup, letting it cook off into the broth.

     This version is as (or I think more) cheesy and satisfying as the original, but much healthier and vegetarian.  It is also remarkably easy to make and packs a nice wallop of impact for guests as it comes out of the broiler sizzling.

     This time I added actual mushrooms as well, but I’m giving you the recipe without them, as I think it tasted better without them. It’s certainly more traditional without mushrooms.

French Onion Soup
Difficulty:
Time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 large sweet onions, sliced
4 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups organic low sodium mushroom broth
1 tablespoon thyme
Pepper to taste (there should be enough salt in the broth, but if not for your tastes, feel free to add it)
1-2 cups water
1 loaf French bread (baguette or other), sliced and toasted
2 cups grated Gruyere, Swiss, provolone or a mixture of all three

Slice the onions along in opposition to their layers, creating long thin slices

 Preparation:

    Heat oil in a large soup pot on medium. Add sliced onions and sauté. You may need to adjust the heat higher or lower depending on your stove. You want the onions to soften and caramelize, not burn. When they begin to soften, add the shallots and sherry. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes, enough time for the sherry to cook down and the onions to fully caramelize. Then add garlic. Cook one more minute, enough time for the garlic to become aromatic, then add mushroom broth, water (optional), thyme and pepper, and turn the heat up to high. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat, but keep the simmer going, stirring as needed for 15 minutes.

Soup coming to a simmer.  I used mushrooms this time, but it changed the consistency and I like it better without them.

    Spoon soup into bowl, filling about halfway. Add two slices of bread and top with more soup just to insure they become fully saturated. Top with generous portion of cheese.

The Gruyere is beginning to bubble up and change color in the broiler.

     Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. You want the cheese to completely dissolve, bubble up and turn brown. When this happens remove from broiler and serve. Use a plate underneath the bowl as it will be really hot to the touch.

     I love this recipe for this spring weather, rainy, but not too cool. French onion soup is cozy, like a watch-the-spring-rain-and-the-greening-of-the-world-from-my-window kind of dish. It’s light and little bit sweet, while being earthy and very satisfying. Perhaps it will warm me from the inside out, giving me strength to venture out into the rain. Maybe tulip shoots are also steeling themselves against the weather, preparing to expose themselves to damp, thawing air. Perhaps I should go find out.

Shochu Shochu!



Breakfast



          This weekend was one of overindulgence, but aren’t they all? I think I have a pretty good handle on my intake during the week.  I eat healthy, low calorie, energy promoting foods, but on the weekends, I will eat whatever anyone puts in from of me, be it hotdog, burrito, a whole pizza...Every weekend, I undo all the work I put in during the week.  Prehaps I'm a little too passionate about food.  This Morning I am repentant. 

Not all was wasted.  Saturday morning I made a simple, delicious and nutritious breakfast consisting of coffee from D’Amico (this place is awesome!), scrambled eggs, toast and smoothie, with a few flavorful touches. 

 

Here are the recipes portioned for two:

Eggs:    Two organic, cage-free, vegetarian fed eggs

            ½ avocado cut into ½ inch square, bite-sized pieces

            6 cherry tomatoes, halved

            Two tablespoons nonfat cottage cheese

            Two green onions diced, only the green shoots

            Pinch salt

            Pinch pepper

            Pinch Pepperika

            Pinch dried basil

Whip cottage cheese, eggs and herbs together in a bowl with a wire whisk until creamy.  The curdy texture of the cottage cheese should just about vanish into the eggs.  I prefer fresh herbs, basil in particular, and have been trying to grow some in my kitchen.  This winter has so far been so grey and cold, very little available sunlight, that it simply refuses to grow.  My basil has Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It’s depressed.  So I used dried basil.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a skillet to medium heat.  Pour in egg mixture, add the avocado, tomato and green onion, stir.  Do not over stir the omelet.  I use a spatula to insure the avocado and tomato remain in firm, bite-sized pieces.  Cook to taste.

Smoothie:  One cup nonfat organic yogurt

                   5 small peeled carrots

                  2 bananas

                  ½ cup frozen blueberries

                 2 tablespoons wheat germ

Add all to blender along with some fruit juice (I like cranberry or carrot.  But real fruit juice, not ‘juice cocktail’ or ‘fruit juice drink.’  Should be 100% juice) or skim milk to liquefy smoothie.

The toast is a homemade whole wheat bread with whole oats and molasses.  I made it earlier in the week.  The next time I bake some, I will include the complete recipe.

 

Sake at Hatchan Bar

As for Hatchan Bar, it was lovely.  Having been a restaurant insider for so long, I’m sometimes uncomfortable with full service dining.  I spend too much energy critiquing and sometimes forget to really enjoy the meal and the company.  I much prefer to have cocktails and conversation, ordering a large variety of food as I go, trying a little bit of everything.  No pressure.  Hatchan bar delivers this type of atmosphere.

Me, Tim, my brother Nate and his wife Chih-Yu.  I'm enjoying the barley shochu in a handmade clay cup  Textured with sand, these cups feel old-world.



Connected to East Restaurant, the bar itself is long and narrow, no tables, all seats at the bar, providing an atmosphere that’s both communal and comfortable.  The clientele are mostly regulars, each knowing the others and the bartender, Remi.  The menu is a variety of al la carte skewers, dumplings and sushi.  We tried the dragon roll, oden, chicken meatball, vegetable dumpling and green pepper wrapped in bacon skewer.  All were very good.  The dragon roll was delicately flavored with firm salmon, salty eel and rich, ripe avocado.  The chicken meatball was served on a stick (I love meat on a stick!) and full of flavor, with a little sweetness and earth, like the best chicken sausages.  The green pepper skewer was also a standout, maintaining a firm, char-grilled texture to the pepper itself, along with the crispy bacon shell.



Dragon Roll



Most importantly, Hatchan Bar introduced me to Shochu.  Shochu, meaning “burned-alcohol,” is a Japanese beverage dating back to the 16^th century.  Recently, it has become increasingly popular, with sales surpassing that of sake beginning in 2003.  Shochu is similar to sake, but is made from many varieties of ingredients (Hatchan listed rice, brown sugar, potato, barley, citrus and more on their menu).  And shochu is higher in alcohol content than sake or wine.  I tried the citrus, but eventually asked Remi to recommend a barley shochu.  The citrus, preferred by some members of our party, was very light and reminiscent of sake.

“I like a really clean taste.”  Chih-Yu, my brother’s wife, told me of the citrus shochu.

The barley shochu tasted of oak and hops, much like American bourbon but lighter and refreshing.  It was the perfect complement to the oden, which sounds like it might be a Viking god, but is actually much less menacing, consisting of Japanese dashi broth, tofu, boiled egg and spicy mustard.



Chih-Yu with two varieties of oden

Tonight I think I'll make dinner, something healthy.  As of yet, I have no idea what that will be.  I'm obsesssed with green onions and kale, lately.  Maybe it will be a dish including one or both ingredients.  Stay tuned...