carmelized heaven, or the (almost) classic french onion soup

I bought a bag of yellow onions at the grocery store the other day. They were on sale, and i adore onions! Their scent, particularly when caramelizing, reminds me of my mom's kitchen because onions make their way into so many Polish dishes.  But seeing this particular bag at the grocery store didn't make me think of Polish food. Instead, all I saw, was a big bowl of French Onion Soup.  

French Onion Soup! Yum! I love French Onion Soup, but never order it out because the classic recipe utilizes beef stock, and I am vegetarian.  And I have not made it for years. In fact, come to think of it, I don't think I ever made French onion soup at home.  I have had it at people's homes, and I have had it if I was lucky enough to find it at a vegetarian restaurant.  But can't actually remember ever making it myself. So with thoughts of my first, home-made, veggie caramelized soup heaven, I snatched the big bag of onions and biked home. 

That evening, I quickly scanned some recipes on line - from Julia Child's to Martha Stewart's. It seems that every chef has one, all slightly different and all "classic".  Unsure of which to pick, I took a cue from Chef Michael Smith, who said that French onion soup is best when personalized - any chef and every home cook will and should put their own spin on it.  So, I did.  I took bits and pieces, from here and there and threw together a soup that was absolutely delicious!  And so very filling, WOW!  Now, I know that the classic French onion soup is rich and filling - all that beef broth and cheese will most certainly do that! But my soup was pretty "healthified" and edited.  I didn't douse it with cheese, I merely used some fresh grated Parmesan for flavour, and my broth was a light, herb broth. But the soup was still pretty satisfying! How does half a bag of onions, some broth, a few herbs and a sprinkling of Parmesan translate into a rich dinner? Well, this is how...

The "Not-So-Cheesy" French Onion Soup

5-6 medium to large yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup white wine (red will work too, if that's what you have on hand)

4-5 cups veggie/herb stock (i often use hot water and 1 cube of vegan herb bullion)

1T thyme, or 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leafs 

sea salt

black pepper, coarsely ground

1T miso

2-3 slices sourdough bread

1/3 cup shaved Parmesan

fresh thyme to garnish

In a large pot, heat some olive oil.  Saute thinly sliced onions, with a sprinkling of salt, over medium heat, for 20 minutes, until caramelized.  Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, add the stock, thyme, bay leafs and some pepper.  Bring to a low boil, turn down the heat and simmer, under cover, for another 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  In a small cup, stir the miso with a ladle full of broth.  Add the mixture to the soup.  Taste and season accordingly to preference.

Pour the soup into an oven proof, deep glass or ceramic dish.  Arrange the toasted sourdough on top and top with the shaved Parmesan.  Bake in the oven, uncovered, at 400F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted, bubbled and turned golden. "Cut" the toast/cheese "lid" and serve, taking care to include some broth, onions and the soaked/cheesy toast.