French Onion Soup

For someone who hated onions until a few years ago, I find myself cooking a lot with onions.  I have taken to buying to big bag of onions at Costco these days.  Here is just one of my favorite soup recipes.

You will need (this is a big pot of soup--feel free to half it):

Four large onions, six cans of beef broth, one garlic clove, a teaspoon of fresh thyme, one bay leaf, 1 stick of butter.  Plus, a loaf of French bread and a mountain of shredded mozz (is that precise enough for you?).

Cut up your onions and toss them in the pot with the butter.  Press the garlic and add it too.

Let them cook slowly for twenty minutes or so--until the onions are all limp and caramelized.  It takes longer the more onions you toss in there.

Once they are all softy and yummy, add your beef broth. . . (yours should be more limp than this--I was short on time and jumped the gun a little--DON'T do that.)

. . .the thyme. . .

. . . and a bay leaf.

Leave it all on the stove to cook on medium low for 20-30 minutes--stirring occasionally, or longer if you husband hasn't gotten home yet.  When you are ready, fill each bowl, leaving space at the top for your bread and cheese.  Place a slice of French bread in each bowl--load with mozz.  (I actually made this loaf myself--and by "myself" I mean Rob made it. But it was from scratch, and it turned out great) 

Put your bowls on a cookie sheet or broiling pan and broil your soup until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown.

Eat and sigh with pleasure.  But let it cool a few minutes first, or there will be no pleasure sighing, and no tasting, for that matter.  Trust me, I got impatient last time and burned my taste buds.  Patience, darlings, it will pay off--I assure you.