There is nothing quite like a drop of onion soup to start a meal and onions are also a good source of the vitamins that prevent scurvy.
This should serve a crew of four
Melt a lump of butter in a pan and chuck in three or four large chopped onions, six chopped cloves of garlic, a chopped chili pepper (to give it a bit of warmth) some dried mixed herbs (or fresh herbs if you have them) and some freshly ground black pepper.
Let this all cook away until the onions go all soft and slippery then add two teaspoons of Dijon mustard and a glass of madeira (or port or sherry will do, but madeira is best yum, yum, yum). Have a glass for yourself,heaven, then turn up the heat to boil off the alchohol, then top up the pan with some boiled water from the kettle (about a litre) add a beef stock cube and bring to the boil.
Once this has started bubbling away turn down to a simmer, stick a lid on the pot and let it cook away for as long as you like, an hour is good. you can get on with other food preparation, have a bath or just tuck yourself up in your Hammock.
Serve in a dish with some grated cheese (I used a nice Davidstow chedder) sprinkled over the top and a hunk of crusty bread. Good as a starter or a nice comforting snack when the breeze gets a bit stiff arouind the mizzen mast.
Soundtrack well as this is a variation on a great French cafe standard and a good slow lazy cook you have plenty of cooking time, I'd recommend listening to, perhaps George Gershwin's An American in Paris to get you started and then some Charlotte Gainsbourg
x
2007-04-25 @ 22:59