French Onion Soup, man-style

When my mother started dating my stepfather, though, French Onion Soup stopped making the dinner cut. Simply, it lacked meat and starch, the two things my meat-and-potatoes-eating dad couldn’t live without. She now makes a beefed up (literally) version she calls “Steak and Onion Soup” with egg noodles and chunks of steak for greater heft. This she can serve as a main dish without inciting the question, “Is this all we’re having tonight?”

When I first started cooking my way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, of course I went right for the French Onion Soup recipe. But thinking of Eli gave me pause. A couple of months ago, I’d made a pot of Pumpkin Curry Soup for dinner, with just some crusty artisan bread and a salad on the side, and it got a bit of a raised eyebrow reaction. (Well, I’m dating an affirmed carnivore, and I know that, so what did I expect?) Anyway, I knew if I was going to make French Onion Soup and expect it to pass muster as a one-dish meal, I was going to have to either make a separate meat dish to go with it, or take my cue from my mother and put something in the soup to chew on. I opted for the latter, but drew a hard line at the idea of adding noodles. That, in my opinion, would be just a little too close to heresy. It was, after all, French cuisine I was messing around with.

This version of French Onion Soup has all the flavor and technique of Julia Child’s, but I’ve added venison steak to make it suitable for the All-American Male palate. Of course, you can use beef steak, and if you’re like me, you can ladle your own bowlful off the top, leaving the steak at the bottom of the pot (I still like mine best in the classic French style, without the chunks of meat).

It more than passed the test, and earned Julia a posthumous compliment as well.

1/2 pound venison or beef steak, cut into 1-inch chunks

1-1/2 pounds thinly sliced sweet yellow onions

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 quarts beef stock

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1/2 loaf good French bread, sliced thick or cut into 1″ chunks

1-2 cups grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot over low heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons of the butter and the oil for about 15 minutes with the cover on (stir well before covering to ensure all the onions are well-coated in fat). Raising the heat to medium, uncover the pot and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook 30-40 minutes more, stirring continually until the onions turn a deep golden brown color. Add the flour and stir until completely incorporated.

While the onions are cooking, bring the beef stock to a boil in a separate pot. After you have added the flour, add the boiling stock and the wine. Keep the heat at a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a skillet, melt the three remaining tablespoons of butter, and sautee the steak until browned on the outside (no more than medium). This should take 5-7 minutes. Add the steak to the simmering soup.

Place the French bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet, spray or brush lightly with olive oil, and toast in the oven for 30 minutes while the soup is cooking.

Ladle the soup into bowls, top with French bread and grated cheese. Brown under a hot broiler if you wish, or just let the heat of the soup melt the cheese.

Serves 6-8 people.