You know those rainy yet brief sun break filled Autumn days? We are having one of those today. Just like predicting the weather after the Fourth of July, the weather where we are is a cacophony of emotional flip flops that match each child that come through school doors the day after Halloween.
Child: Up, down, energetic, wild, depressed, sleepy, teary-eyed. All lunchboxes have candy in them that the parents did not approve of . . . or did. Pockets may be filled too so you have to be an eagle sighted staff member. Weather: heavy rain, sun, light rain, hail, dark cloud rain threat, sun, rain-rain, windy, rain and wind, calm, well you get the picture. Sound familiar?
I was born and raised in Oregon and live in this state still today. The weather? It never disappoints. We just dress our bodies and pack our cars with items for every weather occasion. Think I’m kidding? In Oregon, especially in the beautiful Willamette Valley, one can experience rain, sun, snow, hail, wind, thunder, lightning, ice, HOT or many variables thereof in one day or just one weather pattern a day. Today we had a combo of rain, sun breaks and mild temps. Today was a soup day. I love soup days, don’t you?
I had 3 pounds of locally grown organic onions staring at me from the kitchen island for about 4 days now and to be honest, I stared at them right back. Gave them “the hairy eyeball” too every once in awhile to keep them inline. “No getting moldy” I would say to them when I walked by them. I thought I had meant to order 3 onions but 3 pounds showed up so someone did something incorrectly. You know it was me as “Operator Error” has been my M.O. for about 3 weeks now.
So, what is there to do with this bag of organic onions? I could feel that they were on the edge of sprouting, so doing something, anything with the onions was in a time crunch. True organic, non-GMO, grown without chemical foods don’t last long unless stored correctly - which I didn’t do. We decided we would, after Halloween, use our electric slicer, slice them and put them in the dehydrator eventually turning the dried onions into powder. Halloween night came and went. Dehydrating the onions didn’t happen. However we did turned them into a delicious meal.
We chose to make a version, ‘Robin’s version,’ of French Onion Soup which I am going to share with you, in a moment. I will take you step by step, showing you what we did and how we kept it gluten and dairy free without sacrificing the scrumptious flavor a ‘normal’ French Onion Soup has.
First I want to mention, if you have allergies to gluten or dairy, maybe both like our son, READ ALL INGREDIENTS printed on the products you use in a recipe. Research the company who manufacture the product to make sure it is a CLEAN facility so no cross contamination of gluten or dairy happens in processing.. Make sure you are aware of the ‘other’ names or words used in relation to said allergies. Sometimes, ingredients closely related to or listed under an alternative name can cause problems for a person with allergies. You want to purchase and use products that are 100% safe for all to enjoy.
The Gluten Free/Dairy Free Challenge: Not only do we have an offspring who is celiac, we have one who is allergic to tree nuts so meals get wonky when all want to eat what ‘Mom is cooking.’ Here’s a few things we have to do before we make any meal, snack or BBQ:
Any products that use cow’s milk, whey or butter, creamer in any form. Even if it says “Gluten Free” or “Dairy Free,” READ the ingredients!!! A product can be free of gluten but full of dairy and vise versa. An example of that is Dairy Free ice cream. Some brands contain gluten.
Wine vinegars. Some contain gluten. Some wines contain gluten. My point is READ THE INGREDIENTS for the ingredients if you’re trying to stay Gluten and Dairy free. It’s crazy the knowledge I’ve gained by researching the foods, spices and herbs, store bought that go into a recipe. We also have a child who has TREE NUT allergies so sometimes it’s gets a little time consuming to make a meal that is free from all allergens.
FRENCH ONION SOUP -not the oven cooked version Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Kitchen Equipment and Tools needed: Dutch Oven or 6-8 quart cooking pot Wooden Spoon or your favorite utensil to use while sautéing is said Dutch Oven or Pot. I use a bamboo spoon/spatula combo looking utensil. Measuring cups and spoons - unless you want to wing it/eyeball it/ you do you! Some recipes I eyeball it and some I actually measure. Did a little of both for this recipe. Stove or Hot plate. I used a single burner induction burner as I my feet hurt after all the decorating and I wanted to sit my fanny down.
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds of sweet onions - the fresher the better usually but not necessary. Ours were on the cusp of being back in the garden to grow anew. I recommend organic and non-gmo but you do your own preference. 3 Tablespoons Earth Balance. It’s non-dairy yummy. You can also use Ghee, or whatever your heart desires. Olive oil included. You could also use a combo of Olive Oil and any of the listed ingredients above 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar. You can sub with an equal amount of Apple Cider Vinegar. 5-6 cups Beef Bone Broth - if I don’t have any homemade, we will use Pacific Foods Organic brand - also low sodium. Again, you use the brand you like. 1 cup Gluten Free White Wine 2-3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce - the measurement is approximate and I do a couple ‘tip and quick pours.’ It is also an optional ingredient. 1 Tablespoon Gluten Free flour or cornstarch - for thickening. We use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour. Salt and Pepper to taste - salt is always optional as it’s included in so many other ingredients. Baguette - you guessed it, they make Gluten Free/Dairy Free yumminess. Schur brand makes them. Franz may make them or make your own. DAIRY FREE Parmesan ‘Cheese’ that is delicious. Whole Foods carries this. You will have to shred it. I recommend Gruyère Cheese for those who can eat dairy.
Steps to create the soup:
Peel off the onion paper and slice each onion to your desired thickness. We used our electric slicer this time for consistent thickness. Let’s face it, my hand slicing is less that desired and end up with thicknesses all over the board. I wanted the slices to be at least pretty for a blog picture. (I’m laughing.)
Melt butter/oil, whatever you are using in the D.O. or Pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions to the melted goodness and slowly caramelize them. This is the longest part longest part of the whole recipe. Caramelizing onions can take 45-60 minutes so be patient! You don’t want to cook them too quickly as a nice brownish color takes time. DO NOT OVER STIR/MIX - INFREQUENT STIRRING REQUIRED.
Once the onions are caramelized, keep the D.O. or pot at Medium heat and White Wine, White wine vinegar, pepper and salt if desired. Stir into the onions and add the flour. Cook all for 2 or 3 minutes.
Slowly add in the Beef Broth, giving a quick stir after a couple cups have been added. Repeat the add and stir until all liquid has been added. Bring mixture to a simmer and let your soup cook for about 30 minutes or longer - your choice.
While your soup is on the stove marrying all the ingredients together, prep the baguette. To do this, Slice the baguette length wise or keep it whole and slice into rounds. We chose lengthwise and then cut those into six inch pieces. We did not butter the bread. We shredded the Dairy Free Parmesan Cheese, sprinkling it on the bread. We then placed the bread under the broiler until the cheese melted and edges were a beautiful shade of brown.
Plate the soup in individual soup bowls. Cut or cube broiled cheese bread. Add to the top of your soup and serve garnished with a bit more Dairy Free Parmesan.
Side Note: You do have the option to plate soup in individual oven safe bowls, add baguette then cover entire surface of the bowl of soup and bread with cheese. Broil the deliciousness under the broiler for a few minutes, removing from oven when cheese is melted and beautiful brown on the edges.
Whatever you do, gluten free/dairy free or regular soup, ENJOY each bite to the last drop of broth. The HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING ONIONS many! To read more about those benefits you can go to this article. I don’t think you can click the link but you can copy and paste into your browser! https://spiceworldinc.com/health/10-health-benefits-of-onions/
As Always, please leave questions and comments in the comment section below! Be kind. Be compassionate and understanding of others. We are all different and beautiful!
Love, Light and Peace
