Seasonal Pantry: French onion soup for what ails you

Do you crave specific foods when you’re on the mend from an illness? Most of us do and, unless you survive on a diet of unhealthy foods, it is usually a good idea to listen to those cravings. Our bodies have a lot of inherent wisdom, inner knowledge that leads us to eat what we need. There is evidence that even cravings for, say, chocolate have as much to do with our body’s needs as it does with our desires.

This, of course, runs counter to a widespread yet ridiculous belief in this country that “if it tastes good, it is bad for you.” We wouldn’t have lasted long as a species if what we needed to thrive tasted bad. Eating is not an abstract act, something to do because we know we should. It is pleasure and its handmaiden, hunger, that drive us and it always has been. Marketers know this, and so in the modern world our natural urges are exploited for commercial gain. But that’s a topic for another time.

Today, I am thinking about hunger, about convalescence and when this ridiculously unpleasant virus will move on. I’ve been battling it since Jan. 2.

For the first couple of weeks, my cravings were minimal, hot tea, water, carrots and poached chicken. But the past few days, I’ve been thinking about French onion soup. A few days ago, I managed to clean myself up and head to K & L Bistro, where a yummy version has been on the menu since the restaurant opened in fall 2001. It was just what I needed, and for as long as I was eating it, I felt pretty good.

As soon as I’m up to cooking, I’ll get a slow-cooker version going. If you don’t have a slow cooker but share my hankering for French onion soup, I’ve included a stove-top version here, too.

If you happen to be hosting the virus yourself, you might want to take a look at “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com, where I’ve posted some delicious tonics that, with luck, will get us all back to health. Soon.

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This version omits some of the essential steps - sauteing the onions, for example - in the interest of getting you back to bed quickly. If you’re feeling just fine, saute the onions and garlic on top of the stove until they are very soft, fragrant and beginning to sweeten, about 20 minutes; do not let them burn. Good, homemade stock is essential to making a good onion soup and, with luck, you have some in your freezer. If you do not and if you need a recipe, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com, where I’ve posted a couple of recipes for homemade stock.

Slow-Cooked French Onion Soup

Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

7-8 yellow onions, very thinly sliced

6-8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

- Kosher salt

8 cups homemade beef stock, hot

1 cup red wine

1/3 cup dry sherry or Madeira

- Black pepper in a mill

6-8 slices rustic hearth bread, preferably sourdough, toasted

8 ounces grated cheese, such as Gruyere, St. George, Carmody or Italian Fontina

Put the butter and olive oil into the pot of a large slow-cooker set on high. Add the onions and garlic, season generously with salt and cover the pan as the cooker warms. Turn the onions now and then in the hot fat.

Add the hot beef stock, red wine and Madeira.

After 1 hour, set the cooker on low, cover and cook for several hours or overnight.

To finish the soup, taste, correct for salt and season with black pepper.

To serve one, preheat a toaster oven. Ladle the soup into a bowl, top with a piece of toast and sprinkle cheese on top. Set in the oven until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

To serve several people at once. preheat an oven broiler. Ladle the soup into soup bowls and set a piece of toast on top of each portion. Sprinkle cheese over the bread and soup, so that it covers the entire surface.

Set the bowls on a baking sheet and set under the broiler just long enough for the cheese to melt and take on a bit of color.

Carefully transfer each bowl to a plate and serve immediately.

To hold the soup, set on warm; it will be fine for a full day.

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This version of the classic French soup is, admittedly, a bit complex. Make it when you are not in a rush. Using several kinds of onions, along with leeks and garlic, adds wonderful layers of flavor. I like to serve it as a main course in cold weather, with a classic Caesar salad after.

French Onion Soup, My Way

Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 white onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 leek, white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced

- Kosher salt

1 garlic bulb, cloves separated, peeled, and thinly sliced

¼ cup brandy

- Black pepper in a mill

1 cup medium-bodied red wine

6 cups homemade beef stock

4 -6 slices of good bread (2 day old bread is ideal), toasted

8 ounces cheese, grated (Italian Fontina, Gruyére, or Monterey Jack)

In a large, heavy soup kettle, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is foamy. Add the onions and leek, season with salt, and saute over low heat until they are very limp, fragrant, and completely tender, about 35 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the garlic and saute 5 minutes more.

Turn the heat to high, add the brandy, shake the pan, and cook rapidly until the brandy is evaporated. Season with salt and several turns of black pepper. Add the wine and stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook for about 40 minutes. Taste the soup and correct the seasoning.

To serve, ladle the soup into deep soup bowls and set a piece of toasted bread on top of each serving. Divide the cheese among the servings and carefully place the soup in a 375-degree oven for about 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the soup from the oven, place each bowl on a saucer, and serve it immediately.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 18 books to date, including “Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings.” Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.