Red Onion Soup

Last Friday, with the stress of conference planning bearing down on me and a nasty wintry mix coming down outside, some culinary therapy was in order. Soup was an obvious choice but since I could only take a short break from preparations for the PA/NJ Food Summit, it had to be a quick recipe. Fortunately, one of my favorites, red onion soup, takes very few ingredients and a short amount of time. The soup sounds odd, but it's similar to French onion soup except for the purple color!
A friend brought over crusty whole wheat bread and brie and we had ourselves a proper winter meal before getting back to business.

Red Onion Soup Recipe
Serves 4 to 6
Adapted from epicurious.com

The original recipe calls for beef broth, as does traditional French onion soup, but I prefer to substitute chicken broth and add some red wine to match the richness of beef broth.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds red onions, sliced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red wine
Parmesan cheese and scallions for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions; stir 2 minutes. Gradually mix in broth and wine, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom. Simmer 15 minutes. Working in batches and using on/off turns, blend soup in processor to coarse puree. Return soup to pot and bring just to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parmesan and scallions, if desired.

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