French Onion Soup

Soup has been a main component of nearly every culture for thousands of years and is a great way to bring people together to share a meal.

Think back to a favorite soup your parents or your grandparents prepared for you.  Those are the memories we need to pass on to our children.  Cooking has sadly become almost a lost art, but making a pot of healthy, hearty, soul-warming soup is a way to create new memories with your family, keep the art of soup making alive and well and keep those family recipes going into the next generation. It's all up to you...and one pot of soup...Enjoy!

The secret to the rich beefy flavor and silky texture is in the homemade stock.  This is delicious when served with a Prime Rib Dinner and a salad, or serve with French Dip Sandwiches.

1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup  Butter
1  Rack of Prime Rib Beef Bones, 3 or 4 bones  (ask your butcher for these or if you serve a Whole Prime Rib Dinner, save the rack of ribs for this recipe)
1 tsp  White Pepper
1 tsp  Salt
1 cup Dry White Wine
6 cups  Beef Stock
Croutons, homemade or store bought
Swiss, Provolone, Gruyère or Mozzarella Cheese, 6-8 very thin slices
Parmesan-Romano Cheese, grated

In a medium soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and beef ribs and saute until onions are tender. Add white pepper, salt and wine and simmer about 3-4 minutes until mixture begins to bubble. Add beef stock and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  (Cooking the beef bones in the soup will maximize the flavor. If you have time, simmer for an extra 30 minutes and the flavor will get even better.  If the soup cooks down more than you would like, just add 1 cup of water or beef stock near the end of the cooking time.)

Ladle soup into bowls and add croutons and cheese. Let cheese melt slightly, then sprinkle with Parmesan-Romano cheese.  Serves about 4-6.