It's Friday and I decided to pick a decadent recipe for French Onion Soup which isn't something I would make often because it's so rich. But, with it being the end of the work week I thought it'd be a delicious treat for us. I paired it with Pioneer Woman's Chipotle Steak Salad and both turned out to be such a great meal.
Whoa - this dinner was incredible, both the salad AND the soup!!! I've made French onion soup a few times but this one takes the prize - good job Pioneer Woman. I absolutely loved the idea of roasting the onions in a dutch oven versus standing over a skillet caramelizing them. It saves so much time and energy and the end result is just as
(if not better in my opinion) delicious. The soup was everything french onion soup should be - and I need to make this again when we have guests, it was
THAT good. I know my brother loves french onion soup, so I have to make it for him as I bet he will love it too. And the salad was a nice contrast with the warm steak over a crisp summer salad - YUM!
The trick to the bread is to use day old bread and rub both sides of the cut pieces with garlic then brush the tops with olive oil. Broil for 1-2 minutes per side and DON'T forget about them,
ask me how I know. I would highly recommend using Gnarly Head red wine versus white wine in this - it's just a richer flavor in general.
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French Onion Soup
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ingredients
• 3 yellow onions and 1 white onion, sliced
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon (I used Gnarly Head)
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups low sodium beef broth
• 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• Thick slices french bread, drizzled with EVOO & toasted
• 8 oz Swiss cheese, sliced thick
1. Preheat oven to 400º. Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium low heat. Once melted, add the onions and stir to coat them with butter. Cook covered for 20 minutes until they are translucent. Stir the onions about halfway through. Place the pot in the oven with lid slightly ajar and roast for 1 hour. Stir them twice during this process to prevent from burning. Don't fret if a few edges get dark - this will add extra flavor.
2. Place the dutch oven back on the stove top over medium heat and pour in the wine to de-glaze the bottom of the pot. Use a spatula or tongs to scrape up the good bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce and the garlic. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Turn on the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven safe bowls, top with a few pieces of bread and the cheese. Broil until the cheese is all gooey and slightly browned, about 1-2 minutes per side.
This will make enough for 8 servings. I made the whole batch and popped the leftovers in the freezer.
Chipotle Steak Salad
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Chipotle Steak Salad
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• 12 oz beef sirloin, fat trimmed
• 1.5 Tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Wildflower honey
• small can chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup mayo
• 12 oz mixed greens
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1. Marinate the steak for 3 hours in the following mixture: combine oil, Worcestershire, honey, 1 tbsp adobo sauce (you can also just chop up a pepper instead of just using the juice), cumin & oregano.
2. Make the dressing: combine 2 chipotle peppers and mayo in a food processor. Mix together until well combined. If it is too thick, add some water and pulse until it gets to the desired thickness. Set in fridge until ready to serve.
3. Remove the steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Preheat a grill to high heat and grill for 4-5 minutes per side for medium. Let rest on cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.
4. For serving pile the meat on top of the mixed greens, tomatoes, onion & cucumber. Drizzle some dressing on top.
This will make enough for 4 servings and I must say a ridiculously delicious salad. The original recipe called for a lot more chipotle in adobo and I followed it and the dressing was too thick and way too spicy, even for Q. So I've adjusted the above measurements to hopefully avoid that for next time. I also used a bit of water to help thin the dressing out because it was way too thick.
Since you will have extra chipotle in adobo sauce here's a neat trick. Dump them into a food processor or blender and whip them up until they are broken down. Using a spatula, transfer to a quart size freezer bag. Push all the way to the bottom to form a sort of log shape, then squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing. When you need them for another recipe, simply pull out of the freezer and using a grater, grate however much your recipe calls for. Then, roll back up and pop back into the freezer for next time.
Enjoy!
These recipes were adapted from Pioneer Woman.
