From the history of onion soup
It's no surprise that classic onion soup— is a French dish, because in Europe (France, Germany, Italy) soups became widespread in the 15th century. That is where the Latin name comes from - "suppa", which literally translates as "bread soaked in broth". Only China was ahead of Europe, where soups entered the diet a hundred years earlier and were cooked in clay pots. In the daily diet of other peoples, this liquid, nutritious dish began to appear only in the 17th-18th centuries. Although the recipe for the onion soup popular today is also closer to the 17th century version. In Russia, at first, only liquid overseas dishes were called soups, then this name was transferred to the traditional broth. Broth was unacceptable in the nobility, and for a long time was considered peasant food. But the legend that told the world how onion soup appeared gives the primacy in this “invention” to the King of France himself – Louis XV. Allegedly, having gone hunting, he did not find other ingredients in his hunting quarters, and he had to make a soup from onions, butter and champagne. Today, no one remembers the details of this story. Perhaps, while making onion soup for himself, he fried the onion in butter and poured water over it, and the champagne simply accompanied dinner, or maybe the champagne followed the onion into the soup bowl. And it doesn’t matter, but the legend was passed from mouth to mouth and certainly increased the self-esteem of the poor French in their own eyes by the fact that they were consuming the “royal” soup. It must be said that the true recipe for the soup really does require only one ingredient. It can be potatoes, onions or cabbage. Later, other vegetables were added to onion soup, but in such a way that they did not "overshadow" the taste and aroma of the main product. Today, you can count a good hundred recipes for onion soup for every taste. In France, as a symbol of the country, it is on par with frog legs, French wine, oysters and cheese. Every self-respecting restaurant will first of all offer its guests this once poor man's food.
The secret of cooking medieval soup
No matter how varied the recipes aremodern cooking, but if we are to say that onion soup is akin to a stew, then the right stew is prepared without meat. At first glance, such food may cause confusion - what to cook here?! Throw onions or potatoes into water - and that's it. However, it's not that simple. The main secret lies in sautéing the onions, which need to be brought to a ruddy color, without overdrying or overfrying, but crystallizing. This is done in a cast-iron frying pan with a thick bottom over low heat. You cannot increase the frying temperature for the sake of cooking speed; the onions should be fried for at least half an hour. The highest "aerobatics" in this case is considered to be an hour-long sauté of onions. You can add a little flour to the onions and, without transferring them to another container, pour in water. Now, in order not to distort the meaning of the concept of "suppa", bread crusts or croutons are supposed to go with it. If there is cheese, the onion soup is sprinkled with it in grated form, you can also sprinkle croutons. Since ancient times, such soup was not cooked in a large vat, but in a small dish, from which it was eaten. It was believed that unnecessary transferring and pouring of broth can harm the taste. It is better to let the dish steep for a while under a closed lid after cooking. Here is such a simple recipe. It is clear that modern French onion soup differs significantly from the above recipe and is cooked in most cases in meat broth with the addition of various spices, wine, butter, garlic, mushrooms. Today, the idea of onion soup has spread so much around the world that in search of a culinary masterpiece, you can find onion soup not only in French national cuisine. Recipes for English, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian soup with the addition of a large amount of onions are common.
Masterpieces of Modern Cooking
You can prepare French onion soup, taking into account the modern recipe, as follows:
- butter - 50 gr.;
- onions - 5 pcs. medium size;
- garlic - 1 head;
- wine (port or sherry) - half a glass (if cognac, then 1/6 of a glass);
- spicy French herbs - 1 tsp;
- meat broth - 5 cups;
- hard cheese - ¾ cup;
- salt, pepper to taste.
It must be said that this quantity of productsis designed for 4 servings. First, fry the chopped onion and garlic in butter for at least 30 minutes, as mentioned above. Sauté while stirring constantly. Then season the onion with herbs and pour in wine. Leave the pan open and bring the contents to almost complete evaporation of the liquid. After this, pour in the prepared meat broth and add salt. While the onion soup is cooking, you can prepare several pre-dried slices of bread, cover them with cheese slices and bake in the oven until the cheese layer melts. For those who are not a fan of using alcohol to make soup, we can offer classic onion soup. In this case, you need to use the same ingredients as listed above, except for the wine. Additionally, you will only need a couple of tablespoons of wheat flour. Fry the onion until brownish, mix with spices and flour and pour in the broth. After this, cook for another 30 minutes over low heat. Grated cheese can be served at the table and everyone can pour as much as they want into their own bowl, although the recipe involves pouring the soup into portioned broth cups with the addition of croutons and cheese. After this, it is recommended to simmer the onion soup in the oven for a few more minutes until the cheese melts. The recipe for soup with processed cheese can also be attributed to the onion variation, when carrots are fried along with the onion, giving the first course a beautiful orange hue. In this case, potatoes are also added to the pan. Lastly, about 200 grams of processed cheese are grated on a coarse grater, and the contents are brought to readiness, that is, until the cheese melts. Considering that the finished soup is supposed to be baked in the oven, many housewives began to cook onion soup in portioned clay pots, which is so typical of Russian cuisine. And each cook brings something of his own to the recipe: someone will rub the croutons with garlic, someone will add cream to the broth or fry the onion not in butter, but in olive oil. In this case, creativity is only welcome. It is not surprising that today you can find a recipe for "onion soup with rice noodles" or with the addition of whole grains and rolled oats.
Recipe for slimming
Due to the low calorie content of the onion itself andthe fact that onion soup can be cooked without the use of meat broth, this recipe has successfully taken root in the menu of all those who want to lose weight. Only sautéing in oil is excluded. To prepare, you will need a set of vegetables such as white cabbage, 5-6 onions, bell peppers, a bunch of celery, 1-2 tomatoes. All vegetables are chopped, poured with cold water and sent to the stove. Cook until the contents are soft. Nutritionists claim that such onion soup has exceptional health benefits and can be eaten several times a day, forgetting about counting calories. All that remains is to try one of the options in your kitchen or invent a new unprecedented recipe.
