Claire Criscuolo

Swiss Onion Soup

Preparation info

  • Serves

    4-6

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in

Welcome to Claire's: 35 Years of Recipes and Reflections from the Landmark Vegetarian Restaurant

Welcome to Claire's

By Claire Criscuolo

Published 2014

  • About

This soup should be called Connecticut Onion Soup, because I source almost every ingredient right here in this state, grown by local farmers. Top the soup with Garlic Croutons.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons organic butter, sliced into a few pats
  • 6 large yellow onions (about 3 pounds), cut in half and then sliced into thin ribs
  • 5 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large bay leaf or 2 small leaves
  • 1 cup chopped organic Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • ½ cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups organic 2 percent milk
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup grated organic Parmesan cheese
  • 4 ounces organic swiss cheese, coarsely grated, about 1 cup

    Method

    1. Melt the butter in a heavy pot. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and a little sea salt and pepper. Cover and cook over a low-medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are very soft but not brown.
    2. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onions, stirring well to combine. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently (you are making a roux), for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is blended and there is no visible uncooked flour remaining.
    3. Stir in the water, milk, and nutmeg. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, until the soup is slightly thickened and close to a simmer. Tiny bubbles will begin to form around the edges of the soup. Stir in the Parmesan and swiss cheeses and stir to combine for about a minute, until the cheeses have melted into the soup. Taste for seasonings.