Snow Days Call For Soup
Can y’all believe it was nearly 70 yesterday and we woke up to a landscape of snow this morning?!
I knew we were expecting low temps so yesterday evening I started to prep the market garden for the sudden downswing of weather. Luckily, my aunts showed up at the farm to help me throw on row covers to get everything ready for the low-temperature dips expected throughout the night. It’s so nice having family close by because I would’ve been out there several hours getting everything bundled up by myself!
This past week we also received our little turkey poults, so I was equally worried about them. Even though they’re in their brooder with a heat plate, I set my alarm a couple of times throughout the night to go out and check on them, just in case I needed to adjust or add another heat lamp…. I’m paranoid, I know, and they were just fine. But when I went out about 2:30 AM it was like a blizzard…. in late April! So this morning, when I woke up, the first thing I did was get in the truck and head over to the farm to check everything out.
A few tomatoes in the high tunnel had a few spots of leaf damage, but all in all, everything else seemed to be ok, as most were cool weather crops anyways. Carrots were buried in snow and the tops of garlic and onions peeked through the blankets of white. Cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, other root crops, and broccoli all faired just fine and the lettuce, spinach, and strawberries were nice and dry in the tunnel.
So as I waited for the snow to melt away, I headed back to the house worked in the greenhouse just a bit, and came in and made some french onion soup for lunch. I actually don’t think I’ve ever had french onion soup before, as I’m not a big onion fan, but for whatever reason, it just sounded so good on this cold, wintry-like day. I checked out a few recipes online and came up with my own based on what I had in the pantry. Y’all, it was so good… Jeremiah and I already ate it all and I’m tempted to make another batch. So if you make it, I recommend doubling it!
French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
4 large sweet onions, sliced
5 cups of beef stock
1/2 cup of sherry
3-4 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon of dried thyme
sliced smoked gouda cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
french baguette bread
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
In a dutch oven or large stockpot melt the butter and then add the sliced onions. Saute the onions until caramelized over medium heat, about 45 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and saute for about one minute. Add the sherry and allow it to mostly cook off until you have just a bit of liquid standing in the bottom.
Add the flour a tablespoon at a time until you get a pasty consistency. Stir continuously to keep it from burning for about 3 minutes.
Slowly add the beef broth, stirring constantly to avoid any clumps. Add your thyme, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Using oven-safe bowls, sprinkle a layer of parmesan in the bottom of the bowl and ladle in the hot soup.
Top bowl with slices of bread and then top with the gouda cheese and additional parmesan.
Place bowls under the broiler until the soup and cheese are hot and bubbly.
