Beefed-Up Onion Soup
by Missy Chase Lapine
How sneaky can a Sneaky Chef be? In this soup, by caramelizing the onions in pomegranate juice, you can bring out their natural sweetness without using the sugar that’s normally found in onion soup. The sweet potato/carrot puree makes the broth extra rich, so no one will miss the extra butter.
For maximum authenticity, serve in an ovenproof crock topped with a whole grain crouton and bubbly low-fat Swiss cheese. Pair with a side salad for a super-satisfying meal.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large sweet onions (such as Vidalia), sliced thin (about 6 cups)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 3 cups low-sodium beef* broth
- 1 cup Orange Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe, below)
- Salt, to taste
- 4 slices whole grain bread, cut into a circle
- 4 slices low-fat Swiss cheese
*Use vegetable broth to make vegetarian
In a large soup pot over moderate heat, melt the butter with oil. Add the onions, salt, bay leaves, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Add the pomegranate juice and continue cooking onions for another 5 minutes. Add the beef (or vegetable) broth and the Orange Puree and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for another 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into 4 soup bowls or ovenproof crocks. Season with salt and additional freshly ground pepper.
To serve authentic French onion soup, gratiné style, place a small round piece of whole grain toast on top of each soup-filled crock. Lay a slice of cheese over top of the entire ovenproof crock and broil on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
To avoid scalding your hands when blending hot liquids, let the liquid cool for
a few minutes, then fill the blender no more than halfway and cover the closed top with a kitchen towel. Pulse a few times before setting the blender to run on high speed.
Orange Puree Make-Ahead Recipe:
- 1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
Makes about 2 cups of puree
In a medium-sized pot, cover the sweet potatoes and carrots with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes, until carrots are very tender. If the carrots aren’t thoroughly cooked, they’ll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetables in recipes, which will reveal their presence to your man—a gigantic no-no for the Sneaky Chef.
Drain the sweet potatoes and carrots and put them in the food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth; no pieces of carrots or potatoes should remain. Stop
occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon of water to smooth out the puree, but the less water, the better.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree; double it if you want to store another 2 cups. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1⁄4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
Missy Chase Lapine is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine. A mother of two young daughters, she knows how picky kids can be—and she’s got the kitchen experiments to prove it! She is on the Culinary Arts facility of The New School, in New York City, and also gives cooking classes and coaching to busy families hoping to learn how to eat healthier. Her book, The Sneaky Chef, is published by Running Press. Her next book The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen) will be out in April 2008. You can learn more about Missy at her website, www.thesneakychef.com
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