@JacknDiane French Onion soup... it takes FOREVER so I make a lot at one time!
2 kilos white onions (you can use brown, but not red) sliced thinly from root to stem.
About half a pack of butter.
A couple of cloves of garlic, you really don't need much.
About half a pint of white wine. Not red.
Beef stock - I use at least 4 of the jellied stock pots, you might need more.
Hot water.
Thyme - if you like it. (I don't)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Get a very large saucepan, melt the butter, add the sliced onions and fry them GENTLY for a couple of hours (yes hours, for this quantity), stirring occasionally, until they have mushed right down into a gorgeous brown gooey mess (otherwise known as caramelising). Apparently you can also do this in a slow cooker overnight, but I've never tried that. Add the garlic and the thyme (if liked) towards the end of the caramelisation process. Do NOT try to speed this process up by cooking it on a higher heat, you will get burned onions which are not really soft.
Add the white wine, a couple of pints of water and the beef stock pots.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Taste and add seasoning/more beef stock pots/water as necessary.
When it is as you like it, put some in containers for the freezer and keep some to eat. Serve it with toasted French bread gruyere croutons floating on the top.
My husband likes this so much he is very happy to have it for a special meal.
Lentil soup.
Good quality ham stock from when I boiled a gammon joint, with onions, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves used to flavour it. Or you can buy ham stock jellied pots - I haven't tried those.
A couple of handfuls of orange lentils.
Strain your stock. Or, if you prefer, you can add the vegetables used for the flavouring back in and whizz them up before adding the lentils.
Bring the stock to the boil.
Add the lentils, if you like it thick use about a pint of stock, if you prefer it less thick you can use a couple of pints.
Bring it to the boil, simmer for about half an hour until the lentils have all mushed down.
Taste - season - add more stock/water if needed.
You can either whizz it up to make it smooth, or leave it as it is. Both are delicious, especially if you add in a handful of finely chopped ham leftovers.
A word of caution... if you are using the stock from a gammon you have cooked yourself, it can be very salty. If you know beforehand you are going to be using the stock for a soup either soak the gammon overnight in cold water and then cook it in fresh water, or bring it to the boil, discard the hot water and bring it to the boil (with the flavourings) in fresh water.
'Whatever' vegetable soup.
Whatever vegetables you have to hand I do NOT like brassica, swede, turnip or parsnip in my soups so I don't use those.
I keep a bag in the freezer for leftover vegetables, either cooked or uncooked, including things like mashed potatoes. Add whatever you have in the bottom of the fridge that is going limp.
You will need a fresh onion and some garlic.
Whatever stock you happen to have, and I quite often add the remains of a stew or a bolognese if there is any which is not enough to keep as a meal.
Chop up the onion and the garlic and fry until soft.
Chop up the vegetables and add to the onion, fry until soft. If you're using potatoes do not add those in yet.
Add the stock, however much you think you need, top up with water if needed.
Add the potato, if using.
Simmer gently for around half an hour
Taste, season, add flavourings if needed (tomato puree, garlic powder/puree, paprika, whatever you think it needs)
Whizz it up.
Bob's your uncle!