Soup in subfreezing temperatures

It’s cold this morning. Really cold. Temperatures are not expected to rise above 35°, but currently the wind chill makes it feel like 10°. We finally broke down and purchased a small electric heater this weekend, one that resembles a 1930s radio. Now we sit in front of it and experience a different type of fireside chat. Ah, history puns are always appropriate and humorous. Still no clue how to operate the gas heater, but still I accidentally dropped a piece of foil down the vents  the other day, I am convinced it will explode if we ever turn it on. So, we continue to layer on clothing, crowd around the wee heater, and consume bowl upon bowl of soups and stews.

One of my favorite soups is French Onion, but that whole vegetarian thing gets in the way of enjoying this dish in most restaurants. I attempted a version without beef stock and it was just as delicious as its carnivourous cousin. The rich, slightly sweet soup is perfectly contrasted with the salty, bubbling cheese toppping. Plus, the pungent smells of the Gruyère are sure to make the neighbors as happy as when I slow roast cauliflower and brussels sprouts, whose scents linger in the building hallways for days. A small price for a warm and inviting meal.

French Onion Soup
4-5 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
3 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
Several slices of a baguette
Sliced or grated Gruyère cheese

In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté the onions until they are amber in color and very soft, about thirty minutes. Add the flour and stir for one minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, cooking for two to three minutes. Add the stock and water and simmer the soup for thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the slices of bread, about two to three per person, on a baking sheet and bake for fifteen minutes or until the bread is completely dried out.

Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup. Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls. Top with slices of toasted bread and sprinkle with cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for five minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

It’s Christmas in Portland

It must be the month of Christmas.

There are peppermint sticks on my desk and chocolate covered German gingerbread and pistachio studded torrone in the pantry.

A tree has yet to be acquired, but we have a few decorations strewn about.

And on nearly every corner downtown are performers dressed in Santa regalia. Christmas tunes hang in the air, played on trumpets, guitars, and bagpipes.

St. Nicholas’ Day is less than a week away, then a few days spent in sunny California before we settle in for a series of celebrations – Christmas, second wedding anniversary and New Year’s.