French Onion Soup

My favorite fall warm up -- Homemade French Onion Soup!

I LOVE FRENCH ONION SOUP! I have spent many a years working on this recipe and it has certainly varied! I do like herbs in mine, but my hubby, not so much, so this is the tried and true version we both can agree on and we both enjoy immensely! I hope you enjoy it too! Serves about 6 people, pending your soup bowl size ;)
Ingredients:

• 4 large sweet onions, sliced
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/4-1/2 cup dry red wine
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp salt (or more to suite your taste)
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper (or more to suit your taste)
• 6 slices crusty french bread
• 10 slices provolone cheese

Melt your stick of butter in a large saute pan.

Slice your onions and saute them over med -med/high heat
While they are in the pan, dice up your garlic and then toss that into the pan too. Let the onion/garlic mixture saute until the onions start to brown a tad/caramelize.

Once onions have browned up, stir in your 2 tbsp of flour and get it incorporated.

Now, you have options! You can transfer your onions to a crock pot or to a dutch oven. (if you choose the dutch oven, you can just start off with it to being with, caramelizing the onions, instead of messing another pan to clean!) I usually use the crock pot since I put it on before I head out for work.

Dump your onion mix into your crock pot. Place your pan back on the heat and deglaze it with your 1/4 cup dry red wine. You can do 1/2 a cup if you like your wine ;) Let it simmer and reduce while you get all the goodness off the bottom of the pan. After the wine has reduced to about half, pour it over the onions.

Now, pour in your beef broth and sprinkle in your S&P. Stir everything together, then allow the soup to slow cook for at least 6 hours. Mine is usually on about 8 hours before I get home from work. Same applies if you choose to allow it to simmer slowly on the stove. Of course, you can still enjoy this soup after only an hour or so of simmering, however, the longer it simmers, the more time it has for all the flavors to mesh!

Once you're ready to enjoy, toast up under your broiler your slices of french bread. (any crusty, hard bread works here). Pour your soup into oven safe bowls, then place a crusty piece of of bread on top of each soup bowl. Then layer 2 slices of provolone cheese on top of each bowl. I let them overlap the sides a tad.

Place bowls on a baking sheet under your broiler for about 6-8 minutes - time varies depending on how hot your broiler gets, how close your bowl is too it, and how burnt you like your cheese ;)

Enjoy! And be careful when you start picking off your cheese - your bowl is HOT!
**Notes: My husband isn't much of a spice person, but it is also good if you add a pinch of some spices, particularly Thyme. And, you can also simmer in a dutch over on the stove for a couple hours and it is good to go if you don't want to do the crock pot!