French Onion Soup With An Italian Attitude

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 medium onions, thinly sliced
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces (about 10 leaves)
• 1/4 cup shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 4 thick slices crusty bread
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup wine
• 6 cups beef stock
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat the broiler to high.
• 2 heat a large deep pot over medium to med-high heat; add in olive oil and butter.
• 3 when the butter melts, start adding the onions as you slice them.
• 4 season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
• 5 cook the onions 15-18 minutes, until tender, sweet, and caramel colored, stirring often.
• 6 if you find the onions are burning in spots before browning all over, add a splash of water and stir now and then, scraping the bottom of the pot.
• 7 while the onions are cooking, make the topping: in a small bowl, combine the grape tomatoes, basil, grated cheese, salt, and pepper.
• 8 under the broiler or toaster oven, toast the crusty bread until golden; rub each side of the toast with the crushed garlic clove.
• 9 once the onions are done, add the balsamic vinegar and wine, stirring up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
• 10 add in the stock; cover to bring to a quick boil.
• 11 arrange 4 small, deep soup bowls or crocks on a cookie sheet.
• 12 once the soup reaches a boil, ladle it into the bowls.
• 13 float a toasted bread slice on each serving and cover each toast with a mound of grape tomato mixture.
• 14 top with 2 slices of the mozzarella cheese.
• 15 slide the cookie sheet under the hot broiler until the cheese melts and bubbles.