Soupe à l’oignon  

Did a nice, relatively light, vegetarian onion soup last night - not quite as rich as the classic beefstock-fortified version with half a pound of melted gruyere, but that may well be a good thing. This one is quite sweet, depending on your onions. If necessary, you can use small amounts of sugar or vinegar to correct the flavor early on in the caramelizing process.

1/2 stick butter
3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
3 glasses of white wine (as you would drink)
2 tall glasses of water
a dozen or so baguette slices
some shredded gruyere or other swiss
salt/pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large nonstick pan. Best to cut it up first, and use high heat.

2. Just as the butter melts completely, add the sliced onions. Saute (still on high heat), making sure they don't burn.

3. As the onions are going, put the wine in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Just as it starts to boil, take it off the heat. In a larger saucepan bring the water to a boil. Toast the flour in the oven until it's very lightly colored, for maybe 5 minutes at 200C/400F.

4. Once the onions are limp and translucent, add some salt, maybe 1/2 teaspoon or even more. Also pepper as you like. Keep stirring, but just enough to keep the onions from burning (you want to give them time to caramelize before you turn them). Turn the heat down a bit if necessary. Overall you should spend about half an hour caramelizing the onions (the longer you spend, the darker the onions - and the stronger the flavor).

5. Lower the heat and stir in the flour. Add the wine and then the boiling water a bit at a time, stirring carefully. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until you like the consistency.

6. Put the baguette slices on a cookie sheet, with a little pile of gruyere on each slice. Toast them in the oven for maybe ten minutes at 200C/400F, just until the cheese starts to brown. Add a slice or two to each bowl of soup, and some pepper. Serves 4.