Hearty Onion Soup

This is a wonderful, easy to make onion soup.  After the first time I made it, I bought large rolls to use as soup bowls. It's great for a chilly day!

What you need for 4 medium bread bowls or 3 large ones.
50 g flour
4 onions, sliced thinly for the soup
2 onions to saute and put on top
bratbutter (I use regular butter when I don't have any)
2 large rolls/small round loaves of bread
1 liter vegetable bouillon (2 cubes)
shredded Gruyere cheese (slicing some works fine as well)

1. Heat the flour in a pan (I've found a wok works great when making this. If you half it, a saucepan should be fine.

2. Take flour off stove and coat the sliced onions (use more or less onions depending on how well you like onions).
3. Put the about 25g of bratbutter in the pan and then toss the floured onions to coat.
4. Add the vegetable bouillon (Since I use the cubes with water I put it in a pot to boil and can then add the boiling water to the onions). If bouillon is cold, bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. While the broth is simmering, if using the bread bowls, slice the tops off.  Pull the bread out, leaving at least 1/2 an inch of bread on the inside (1/4 of an inch for smaller rolls). Using a brush (or your fingers if you don't have one) spread some olive oil on the inside bottom and outside bottom of the bread. Put on a baking sheet and cook at 180 for 10-15 minutes.  I put it in the oven cold when I get the broth boiling and take it out when it is done and it is always perfect.

 6. Slice the other 2 onions finely. Put a small frying pan on the stove with some butter. When hot and butter is melted, saute the onions until they are crisp. This does not take long, so only do it a few minutes before the soup is ready.

Tonight I made a salad to go along with the soup, so I also cut up some of the bread tops to put on top of the salad.  For the salad, I used mixed greens, some roast onion (from the spice section) and shredded Gruyere.

After placing the soup in the (bread) bowl, add the sauteed onions and some sliced (or shredded) Gruyere. Add a grilled sliced piece of the bread bowl as well for some added interest. En guete!

Barley part 2

The second barley dish I made was a Arugula (rucola) barley-risotto. It was really great! :)

The risotto you are looking for, I found at Coop: I used 1/2 a bag (250g) to make what is supposed to be 4 servings. However we did not have anything else with the meal so it was really closer to 2.  I would make the entire bag or have it with some chicken or pork otherwise. As a lunch dish though, I think the portion would have been sufficient.  


This is what you need:

1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
250g Getreide- Risotto (barley risotto)
2 dl white wine
6 dl Gemuesebouillon (vegetable bouillon)
Salt, pepper
80g cheese, e.g.Buender Berkaese <-- I did actually use this chese and it was great
100g rucola

chicken bouillon because I didn't have the veggie

1. Chop onion/garlic

2. put oil in pan and heat up - add onion/garlic

3. add risotto - sauté

4. Add wine and let boil

5. Stirring gradually, add broth. (I used closer to 5 dl bouillon) Simmer approx. 25 minutes or until the grain is al dente. Season with salt and pepper (I found that it cooked closer to 40 minutes for me)

6. Grate cheese, tear Arugula into bite size pieces (I left it whole)

7. Mix the cheese and arugula into risotto a little bit at a time

I added the arugula (rucola) a bit at a time until it wilted, like spinach, then added more and kept the process up until the bag was empty. 

I should clarify the boullion as well. I buy the little packets that Coop sell - you add one cube to 250 ml water or 2 for 500 ml of water  You can choose from vegetable, mushroom, beef and chicken. Depending on what you are making, feel free to interchange them. Sometimes if I need a 500 ml of boullion, I will use one vegetable and one mushroom or a veggie and a chicken. 

Overall, my husband and I really enjoyed this meal. There were no leftovers to try the next day though to see if they would hold up.