From my Italian Kitchen: Onion Soup

Call it what you will - Onion Soup, Zuppa di Cipolle Francese, or Soupe a l’Oignon - a rich broth full of caramelized onions and topped with toasted bread and melted cheese is delicious in any language and in any season.

The ingredients for the soup are few - onions, butter, brandy, wine, broth and some seasonings. But that simple list allows for a lot of variation. If I were making this dish in the United States, I would use sweet Vidalia onions. Those are not an option in Italy but that’s ok, just about any yellow onion will do. I’ve even seen some recipes that use white or red onions or a mix of the two.

I use unsalted butter, though I have seen some recipes that substitute olive oil. Even when I’m cooking in Italy I stick to butter for this soup as I think it adds essential flavor.

Calvados, a French apple brandy, works well in this soup

Most recipes call for a bit of brandy and for that I like to use a French Calvados, an apple brandy from the region of Normandy. After all, the origins of this soup are definitely French so Calvados is a natural fit. It also adds a nice touch of sweetness to the onions. If you don’t have Calvados, just substitute another brandy.

As for the wine, most recipes call for a dry white wine. In a nod to this being an Italian version, I use a local red. My go to favorite everyday Italian, Urlo di Lupo from Tenuta Maria Teresa in the hills outside of Lucca, works perfectly. The red adds a depth of flavor that pairs well with the next ingredient - beef broth. There are lighter versions of onion soup that call for chicken broth. If using chicken broth I would definitely use a white wine, but I like my onion soup bold and a bit more intense so I go with red wine and beef broth. And while homemade beef stock is ideal, I am unlikely to have a stash of homemade broth in my tiny freezer so I cheat and use store bought.

Now for the most important ingredient and, for me at least, the hardest - the patience required to caramelize all those onions. There is simply no way to speed up this process. I have tried (and failed) many times. Start with melted butter and thinly sliced onions in a large pan over low heat, stirring until the onions soften and start to become translucent. Then, nudge the heat up a bit towards medium and back off! If stirred too often the onions never rest on the bottom on the pan long enough to caramelize and end up as just a pile of soft translucent onions. The same can happen if using too small a pan, so give those onions plenty of room to contact the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes and then stir. Keep repeating this step, moving a bit of onion to the side of the pan every 5 minutes or so to see that there is some brown on the surface of the pan and the onions are sticking a little to the bottom (but not burning or getting crisp; adjust flame as needed). Then give them a stir bringing the brown onions up to the surface. If not, wait a bit longer. The process of caramelizing will take about an hour. At first it seems nothing is happening, but then the onions begin to change color and eventually become a perfect deep brown color and very fragrant.

Once the onions are caramel colored, quickly add the calvados. Stir to deglaze the pan and bring all those lovely brown bits into the onions, alllowing the Calvados to evaporate quickly. Next, add red wine and simmer until reduced and becoming almost syrup-like. Next in the pot goes the beef broth and seasoning. After a 20 minute simmer the soup is ready.

After the onions are caramelized the rest of the soup comes together quickly

Spoon the soup into ovenproof bowls, top with slices of toasted baguette, a handful of cheese (Gruyere or Emmenthal plus a sprinkle of parmesan) and place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown. The finished soup is tasty and well worth the patience and time needed to caramelize those onions.

Here is the complete list of ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 large yellow onions, sliced thin

1/3 c. Calvados

1/2 c. red wine

3 cups beef broth

1/4 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce, and several grinds of black pepper.

Grated Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese (I’ve never measured this - just use enough to cover the surface of the bread atop the soup)

Grated Parmesan (about a tablespoon per bowl)

The combination of French and Italian flavors results in a lovely soup. Buon appetito!