I did it for the cheese!

There seems to be a disconnect somewhere in my brain.

Yes, ha ha, I said "a" disconnect...and you're right it is more likely many.... but I'm talking in particular about one related to matters of the kitchen.

For some reason there are a number of foods that I love that I have never made for myself. Until recently, this included French Onion soup. And I can't figure out why. I mean, I like any food that gives me an excuse to eat a large helping of melted, bubbling cheese. And French Onion soup happens to be one of those foods. But for some reason, I had never made it at home. Come to find out, that aside from requiring a bit of patience (a skill I grow better at daily thanks to mommy-hood), the recipe is quite simple!

French Onion Soup (adapted from Cooking Light, January 2005)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
5 cups beef stock
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 oz provolone cheese, sliced

Preparation:

Thinly slice the onions and add them to a pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sauteeing over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the onions are tender. Then add the sugar, salt and pepper and continue to cook the onions for 20 minutes (or until caramelized), stirring frequently.

When your onions are nice and caramelized, add in the garlic. (It is important to have patience with your onions. Let them do their thing!) Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic has softened.

Next, stir in 1/3 cup of dry white wine and allow the wine to cook down for a minute or two.

Now toss in 2-3 sprigs worth of fresh thyme leaves.

And add your beef stock. You could sub in beef broth if you have it, but stock has much more flavor.

Again you will need to be patient. Cover the pot and let your soup simmer on low to medium-low for 2 hours. Yes 2 hours. I promise it is worth it!

Toward the end of the 2 hours, cube your bread to prepare croutons. Drizzle the croutons with the remaining olive oil and stick them into the oven on broil for 2 minutes.

Ladle the blissfully simmered soup into oven-safe bowls and top with several toasty croutons.

Then top the soup and croutons with plenty of cheese! We used a sharp provolone but you could also use swiss or gruyere.

Place the bowls (on a cookie sheet) into the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Here is the reward for all of your patience:

And after all that, I feel like a success. I've got one less strange disconnect in my brain, practiced my patience and found another way to get cheesy goodness into my tummy!