FRENCH ONION SOUP & LEMON PARMESAN ARUGULA SALAD

{serves 4-6}

French Onion Soup

olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

4 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced

Salt & pepper

½ cup flour

1/8 cup dry sherry

4-6 cups beef stock

A dash Worcestershire

Fresh thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

Artisan sourdough bread, French baguette, or another hearty bread

Swiss Gruyere Cheese

Provolone Cheese

In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute them until they are tender and translucent. Add more butter or olive oil as needed. Season with a little salt. May need to saute for 10 minutes or more to get desired tenderness.

While onions are cooking, remove fresh thyme leaves and give them a little chop then set aside. Slice 2” thick pieces of bread and set aside to dry out a little.

Shake flour over onions and stir well until they are coated. Stir flour and onions until the flour begins to warm in color. Whisk in sherry followed by beef stock {you can add 4-6 cups of beef stock depending on your desired consistency} and turn the heat up to bring to boil. Add Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. The liquid will thicken as it simmers.

Set oven-safe soup bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle soup in bowls. Lay paper thin pieces of Swiss gruyere cheese to the top of the soup. Then lay a thick slice of hearty bread in the top of the bowl; and finish off with 2 overlapping slices of provolone cheese. Preheat broiler on high. Place sheetpan with bowls of soup in the oven for about 2 minutes. Always broil with the oven door cracked; and don’t take your eyes off of whatever you’re broiling! Remove the sheetpan of soup bowls from the oven when the cheese begins to bubble and brown in places. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

Lemon Parmesan Dressing

¼ cup grated freshly parmesan

¼ cup mayonnaise

The juice of one lemon

1 good squeeze of Dijon mustard

1 small clove garlic, minced

A pinch cayenne

Whisk together parmesan and mayonnaise in a bowl. Add minced garlic. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon; and stir in mustard and cayenne. Whisk together, taste for seasoning, and toss with arugula or your favorite greens.

Find out more about Euna Mae’s and Amy Hannon.