BEEFY ONION SOUP

By BobD

Ingredients

• 6 SERVINGS
• Adding a short rib to already richly flavored onion soup sets this version of the French classic apart from all the others you've tried.
• FOR SOUP
• 1 (3/4-pound) beef short rib
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 large Spanish onions (3 pounds), thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1/2 cup Madeira
• 8 cups chicken stock, or 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups water
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• FOR TOASTS
• 1 (10-inch) piece of baguette
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 1/4 lb Brebis Pyrenes (sheep's-milk cheese), grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from gourmet.com

Preparation

Step 1

Pat short rib dry, then lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown short rib on all sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and a brown crust forms on bottom of pot, about 30 minutes.

Add Madeira, stirring and scraping up crust, then add stock, thyme, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and short rib with any juices from plate and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until short rib is very tender, about 2 hours.

Discard bay leaf and thyme.

Shred meat from short rib with 2 forks (discard bone and gristle), then return to pot. Season soup with salt and keep warm, covered, over low heat.

MAKE TOASTS WHILE SOUP SIMMERS:

Preheat oven to 325F with rack in middle.

Halve baguette crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 (1/4-inch-thick) slices, transferring to a baking sheet.

Brush both sides of bread with oil, then sprinkle with thyme and a pinch of salt.

Bake until pale golden and dry, about 25 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle toasts evenly with cheese and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until cheese is melted and toast is golden in some spots, 1 to 2 minutes.

TO SERVE:

Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with chives.

Serve with toasts.