Cheesy Onion and Cumin Soup

It is currently 9 am and 9 chilly degrees as I write this story in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Hello winter!
For the first time in my life, I decided to make the very famous French onion soup. And what a great choice it was. Making a wonderful appearance from a hot oven, like a cheesy volcanic eruption, this soup is perfectly suited for the cold season.
Of course, me being me, I couldn’t make this classic dish without giving it my own touch. As I gently sautéed the onions for this golden soup, I had a flash of divine inspiration from the culinary gods, somewhere from the faraway heavens. They whispered to me to add a smidgen of cumin to the onions, helping to round out the flavours and to complement the molten cheese in the finished soup. Thank You!

I have 2 points of importance in preparing this potage:

1. You will need to make your own brown stock. I say this, not because I have anything against stock cubes and their convenience, but only because this soup is made from a very basic flavor profile, which includes onion, stock, cheese and bread. In other words, there isn’t really much there to begin with, and using stock cubes just wont cut it. Stock cubes lack body. If you make this soup from stock cubes you will be very disappointed- it will taste of salty onion water. Making stock isn’t very hard at all and for this dish you need not worry about keeping it crystal clear. Just cook some beef on the bone (beef shin is perfect), with onion, celery, carrot, parsley stalks, bay, thyme and peppercorns, covered with water, very very gently. Do not boil and keep it under the simmer. The water should barely move. It should be ready after about 3 hours, but if you are low on time, 1 hour is fine.


2. The bread used is of great importance. Buy a real loaf of bread from a real baker. Not from Brumbys, or Bakers Delight. And certainly not from a Vietnamese bakery. You will need a dense, heavy white bread, with a solid crust. Phillipas bakery makes superb bread in this fashion- I used her Pane Francese Naturale. If you use bad bread, your soup will have the texture of glue, and the taste of cheap bread mix. You have been warned…

Ingredients
50g unsalted cultured butter
1 kilo brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 –2 tsp ground cumin
300ml dry white wine
1.5 litres homemade stock, rich and brown
Bouquet of herbs (fresh bay, thyme, parsley)
4 slices European style bread, crusty and dense
200g gruyere cheese, grated
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley, to garnish

Method
You will need a wide saucepan able to accommodate the onions. Over the lowest heat cook the onions, garlic, sugar, cumin and cumin for 1 hour. Stir from time to time.The onions should be golden brown, sweet and aromatic after this time.
Transfer the onion mix to a soup pot.
Deglaze the saucepan you used to cook the onions with the white wine and then pour into the soup pot also.
Add the stock and bouquet of herbs and simmer for 30minutes (or longer if you wish).
Turn the oven to 200c.
Place a slice of bread into 4 deep oven proof soup bowls. Place the soup bowls on a baking tray.
Season the onion soup and ladle over the pieces of bread.
Sprinkle over the cheese and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Nothing else is needed with this soup, it is so delicious and satisfying. Serves 4.

Matzoh

The week of Passover is not far (a fortnight to be precise) and I just cannot bring myself to eat pre-packaged matzoh. To me they taste like stale crackers. I don’t care how virtuous these unleavened breads are, its bland quality has no place at my table.
So out of respect for tradition and religion, I thought baking my own would be a tastier compromise. I must admit I only intended to bake matzoh as a “better” option, to the store bought version. And how wrong was I? The homemade version is good. In fact very good, and that is why I am presenting it here.
I have given them my own touch by including rosemary, and finely chopped black olive to lift the flavour. I think these a tastier alternative to bruschetta (which I hate) and would be perfect to serve with drinks, before a dinner. Or with cheese after a meal (minus the rosemary and olives)
I do not use Passover flour, as I don’t follow the Laws of Kashrut. But instead I use my favorite Italian Tipo 00 flour. Be sure to use a robust and peppery olive oil, it will do wonders for the overall flavours.

Ingredients
150g Tipo 00 flour, plus extra
50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
75ml water
Pinch of sea salt, plus extra
Fresh black pepper
6 black olives, stones removed and chopped very finely (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Method
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Measure your water into a jug and add the oil.
Place the flour into a bowl, with a pinch of salt, pepper, rosemary and optional olives.
Add the water and oil and combine everything-I use a wooden spoon. It should come together almost immediately.
Now place the dough on a floured bench and knead very, very lightly for about 30 seconds. Add a little flour if it is sticky.
Roll out into a free form shape about 25cm in diameter.
Place on a greased baking sheet and stab with a fork, all over the surface.
Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt crystals.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden around the edges and crispy.
Allow to cool a little and eat while still warm.
Serves 2 as a snack, with a glass of wine of course.

The Perfect White Loaf

Homemade bread, along with ice cream, pasta and ricotta is one of life’s simple pleasures. Because most people buy bread, they have little or no idea how the product was created and therefore bread making is usually shrouded in mystery. But making bread (like pasta) is a simple operation, usually only involving mixing, kneading, proving and baking.
I remember the first time I made bread. I think it was 2001. I was bored and I had all the ingredients needed in the cupboard. And I was angry. Very angry. You see, I had just been dumped by a certain ex-lover (we are great friends now though). So I decided to make some bread. And I pretended that this soft piece of dough in front of me was my ex-lovers head! I bashed and smashed the floury mixture into the kitchen bench, venting all my frustrations into the dough. It was a wonderful relief to pretend I was inflicting serious pain into the bastard’s stupid mug… The result was a beautiful loaf of white bread. It was round and golden, with a perfect texture and better tasting than any bread I had bought at a shop. I still remember cutting that first warm slice, drenching it with butter and tasting. I was most proud of my humble creation. I guess at a time when I was feeling pathetic, this triumphant loaf gave me a feeling of competence. I made bread everyday for two weeks and then once a week for twelve months. It made me feel good and I was hooked. Yes, it was like Xanax in the kitchen.
I learnt to make bread from Nigella Lawsons book “How to be a Domestic Goddess”. This recipe is based on hers, with a few minor changes. I always use soft and fine Tipo 00 flour or plain flour. I have made bread only once with bread flour and I preferred the softer option. I know “serious” bakers are probably rolling their eyes reading this but I like the suppleness and pliability that this type of flour produces in homemade bread. I also use whey instead of water. Mainly because I always have some hanging around, after making ricotta. It provides the dough with a touch of sourness and I can pretend I have made sourdough.

Ingredients
530g Tipo 00 flour (or plain flour), plus extra for kneading and dusting
7g dry yeast (1 packet in Australia)
10g sea salt
300ml whey or water
15ml extra virgin olive oil

Method
Put the flour and salt in a bowl.
Warm the whey ever so slightly, I do this in the microwave, then sprinkle in the yeast. Leave for a few minutes to dissolve. Add the olive oil to the whey and yeast mixture.
Pour into the flour and mix together to form a messy dough. I use a wooden spoon to draw the flour and liquid together.
Pour the dough onto the kitchen bench and begin to knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl (and oil the dough as well). Cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour to prove and rise. The dough should double in size.
Preheat your oven to the highest setting. It should be 230c or higher.
Punch down the dough and knead it for 1 minute. Place it onto an appropriate baking sheet. I don’t oil the sheet, but I do provide a sprinkling of flour.
Allow the bread to rise again for 30 minutes.
Just before putting into the oven, dust all over with flour. You are now ready to bake (or roast depending on your definitions).
As every oven is different, you will need to check. In my oven, it takes 20 minutes all up. It is cooked when the outside has formed a golden brown crust and the bread makes a hollow sound when knocked on the underside.
Allow to cool on a rack. I have read you are not supposed to eat bread that has not cooled from its initial baking, but I cannot help cutting of a slice and drenching it with butter. It is delicious!

Not Kosher Challah

Challah is a plaited bread (sometimes covered with poppyseeds, other times containing raisins and honey) made from yeast raised dough, enriched with eggs and served on the Jewish Sabbath. My version contains butter and according to Jewish law, makes it un-kosher. An orthodox Jew would use oil or margarine (please don’t make me use that vile, yellow dyed fat). Sometimes I make it plain and other times with honey and sultanas (the sultana version is very good in bread and butter pudding) But do as you please. I don’t bother to plait mine anymore. I did it once and I honestly think it is better left in its round free form shape. This is so easy that anyone who has not baked their own bread should find it simple enough to do. All that is required is mixing, rising and baking. No kneading.. And very satisfying. This bread is very similar to brioche and I love it straight from the oven, still hot with the steam rising, and lashings of real butter. Just a note on flour- I use organic flour (only because I like to support the farmers who are doing the right thing) but you can use ordinary flour. And I have never used bread flour. A chef once told me that’s what you use to make bread. Well, I have never used it and I have never made bad bread.

Ingredients
1 packet of dry yeast (7 g )
250 ml warm-hot water from the tap
1/3 cup sugar
3 free range eggs
125g butter, melted (use oil if you are kosher)
1 1/2 tsp salt
700 g plain flour (see above)
1 egg beaten for glazing
Variation
1/3 cup honey (instead of sugar)
1 cup sultanas

Method
In a bowl or a jug, add the yeast to the water. You want the water to be hot enough to activate the yeast but not so hot that you will kill it. Bearable to the touch is just about right.
To it add the sugar or honey.
Add the melted butter, the eggs and salt.
Mix with a whisk or fork to combine.
Place the flour and sultanas (if using) into a much larger bowl and pour over the wet ingredients. Mix lightly to combine, using a wooden spoon. I use the spoon because I don’t like sticky dough on my fingers. If you aren’t as precious as I am, you can use your hands.
Cover with cling film and leave to rise and just get on with whatever else you are doing. It will need about 2 hours and I have left it for 6 hours because it was convenient. You will see when it is ready-it will double in size, roughly.
Punch the dough down and cut it into 2 halves.
Place on separate baking tins (oil and flour the tins to prevent the bread sticking) and cover with tea towels. Leave again to rise for another hour.
In the meantime turn the oven on to 200c.
When it is time to bake, brush the tops with the glazing mixture and bake for around 40 min. To make sure they cook evenly I rotate them around every 10 mins.
They are cooked when they are well browned and make a hollow sound when you tap the underside.
Delicious, and perfect. Enough for 2 loaves (just freeze the other)