Soupe a l'oignon gratine

It's been a slow day today in the Hare's lair and despite my plans to finally venture outside, I have been housebound all day. It would seem The Wig is contagious with a horrid fever that prevented us from going out for any adventures all day. Anyone that knows me will know that I have the worst bedside manner imaginable, so its been a very long day... poor Wig.

To try and be a better nurse, I decided to make some Onion Soup for the patient using the tip of Onion Mountain (the abundance left over from the Onion Marmalade we made for Christmas presents). I wouldn't advise making and eating Onion Soup at the wooing stage of a relationship, however after 4 years together, The Wig and I are more than used to the powerful after effects of slow cooked Alliums.

I decided to use a recipe from one of my Dads old Delia Smith books which I remember him often using when he used to cook for my brothers and I when we were children. He was a very good cook and as far as I can recall made all our meals from scratch. I don't think a frozen burger or crispy pancake would have made it through the front garden let alone through the front door and into the freezer. I can definitely credit my Dad for my love of cooking along with my passion for Stately Homes, Cigarettes and Monty Python.

So, as with most recipe books I have, I don't stick religiously to the ingredients and instructions but the end product usually turns out ok (apart from the Famous Banana Cake of September 2010, but let us never mention it again).

To make the soup:
I sweated 4 big onions (red + white) in a blob of butter and 1tbs of oil for half an hour, uncovered.
Then I added 3/4 pint of beef stock, 1/4 pint of white wine and brought to the boil.
Next I covered the pan and simmered for 1 hour.
Halfway through the cooking I made large croutons in the oven using granary bread brushed with oil.
Finally, when the soup was ready I seasoned it, put it into bowls, placed the croutons on top and grated some cheese on top, using my new rotary grater. I told you I needed it.

Bon Appetit!