Nita's American Onion Soup

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• hoagie rolls or any suitable bread, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick
• 4 slices bacon, fried crisp and reserved
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 -5 vidalia onions or 4 -5 sweet onions, peeled,thinly sliced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed,peeled,finely minced
• 5 cans campbell beef broth (or 4 knorr beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 7 cups hot water)
• 1 tablespoon kitchen bouquet browning sauce (do not substitute)
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 -1 1/2 cup red wine (american)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 -3 green onions or 2 -3 shallots, peeled,sliced thin
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• swiss gruyere (not french) or swiss cheese slice

Recipe

• 1 in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, fry 4 strips of bacon until crisp.
• 2 drain on paper towels.
• 3 reserve bacon fat for another use.
• 4 in same pan, over low heat, melt butter.
• 5 add onions and saute them over medium-low heat until onion is somewhat translucent and tender, about 10 minutes.
• 6 stir frequently until onions caramelize and are golden brown.
• 7 stir in garlic.
• 8 remove from heat.
• 9 do not burn.
• 10 in a large pot or dutch oven, combine onions, beef broth, kitchen bouquet and dark brown sugar.
• 11 simmer gently for 1 hour, stir occasionally.
• 12 meanwhile, spray or spread bread of choice with a thin coating of butter.
• 13 toast lightly and place it in a 225 degrees f.
• 14 warm oven and allow it to dry out.
• 15 add wine and oregano to soup.
• 16 cook for another 20 minutes.
• 17 add shallots and cook another 5 minutes.
• 18 season with black pepper.
• 19 remove bread from oven.
• 20 increase oven temperature to 350 degrees f.
• 21 place oven dried bread (or use croutons) in 4 ovenproof soup bowls.
• 22 ladle soup on top and sprinkle with crumbled crisp bacon.
• 23 cover top of bowls with cheese slices.
• 24 place in preheated oven and bake about 20 minutes or until cheese melts.
• 25 serve immediately.
• 26 enjoy!