French onion soup

Serves four
One tablespoon olive oil
50g butter
Six large red onions – peeled and sliced
One clove of garlic – peeled and crushed
Two sprigs of thyme – leaves picked off and chopped
Two sprigs of rosemary – leaves picked off and chopped
30g plain flour
One litre of beef stock
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Four slices of white bread – torn into lumps
100g smoked cheese – grated

Method

In a large pan, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onions and gently fry until they’re soft and tender – probably about 15 minutes – but be careful they don’t burn. Add the garlic and chopped herbs and gently cook for another couple of minutes before sprinkling in the flour and stirring to combine with the onions. Pour in the stock, a little at a time at first whilst stirring until all the flour is combined and the rest can be poured in without making lumps. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for around 20 minutes before adjusting the seasoning to taste.
To serve, first, pre-heat the grill. While it’s heating, pour the soup into warmed bowls (or, for a difference, large coffee cups as we have here) making sure you get lots of the onion in each. Top each one with the lumps of bread, sprinkle on some cheese and place the bowls or cups under the grill until the cheese is melted.