Onion Soup

This post comes to you from the land of migraine fog. Sorry in advance if there are any sections that make absolutely no sense what-so-ever. I have a migraine because about 48 hours ago I tried a buttercup squash for the first time and ended up having an allergic reaction. I thought this strange since I have regularly been eating Golden Hubbard, Butternut and Pumpkin. My generally unpredictable health has a new sliver of predictability. If I have an allergic reaction, I have a migraine 48 hours later. If it was a bad reaction, I will also have a migraine 72 hours later. If I can find one little piece of this allergy puzzle to appreciate it is that my migraines are like clockwork. I suppose that's helpful in a sense, but excuse me if I don't jump for joy!

You may ask "why are you posting when you have a migraine?". Because I'm stubborn and sick of my health dictating things. Not this time, migraine. This time I win.  

Migraine, make way for my Onion Soup! 

I try to make my meals as affordable as I can, especially because many allergy-friendly foods are quite expensive (like specialty flours and pastas). Because of this I am trying to save where I can and one of my idea is to have at least one soup night a week. We have declared onions a food-group in our house. We cook with them every day. I suppose that's an uplifting part of my allergies - I can still eat onions! Let's hope that doesn't change! The caramelization of onions for this soup is a bit time consuming but I promise you, it is well worth it. While cooking, the onions will scent your house like you have never imagined. It will make your stomach growl with hunger.

Onion Soup

 
Serve this soup as a starter, or as a main meal with flat bread, crackers or try my Sweet Potato Fritters.

5-6lbs / 2.3-2.7kgs of onions
4 tbsps olive oil
6-8 cups / 1500-2000 mls of stock (chicken, beef or veggie)
Salt and pepper to taste

Try to slice onions no more than 5mm/0.19in thick - the thinner they are sliced, the quicker they caramelize. Place onions and oil in a large, wide-bottomed pot. On medium heat, bring your onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the onions cook and begin to brown you will have to stir them more often so make sure to keep an eye on them. If you notice them starting to burn then turn down your heat. De-glaze your pan every once-in-a-while and make sure to scrape off the caramelization from the bottom of your pan. It will take about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes for your onions to caramelize. You want to look for a deep caramel colour. Once caramelized add your stock, salt, and pepper. Heat and serve!


I added this post to Cybele Pascal's Allergy-Friendly Friday here. Check out the other amazing recipes!

Notes:

- If you are in a hurry but still want onion soup then try separating your onions amongst multiple pots/pans. They will cook faster this way. - I often sneak a few spoonfuls of caramelized onions to put on my husband's sandwiches. They are also delicious on a burger!

- You can always caramelize the onions in advance and store them in the fridge to use later. Or make a double-batch so that you have extra for a rainy day. I'm going to try canning some so that I will have them on hand.

Additions:

- If you have bread that you can eat, toast some and add it to the top of your soup.

- If you can have cheese (dairy or non-dairy) add this too!