Onion Soup With Raisins And Madeira Food

RESTAURANT-STYLE FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, and thyme until onions are soft and brown, about 30 minutes. Pour in red wine and sherry; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until you can no longer smell alcohol cooking off, about 15 more minutes.
• Sprinkle onion mixture with flour and stir until coated; cook for 10 minutes. Pour in broth, stir to blend in flour, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) while soup is simmering. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
• Toast the baguette slices in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes, turning the bread over halfway through cooking. Remove toast and set aside.
• Set an oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the oven's broiler.
• Ladle soup into 6 oven-proof crocks, filling them about 3/4 full. Place 1 or 2 bread slices into the bowls and top each with a slice of Swiss cheese and a slice of provolone. Carefully place filled crocks onto a sturdy baking sheet.
• Broil soup until the cheese is browned and bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes.

MADEIRA ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and saute until very soft and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the cloves, paprika, raisins, and stock, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Remove cover and simmer 30 more minutes, adjusting seasoning as needed. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the hot soup stock into the yolks while beating to temper them, then add the yolks to the soup. Stir and simmer the soup for 3 to 4 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
• Stir in the Madeira. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and serve with bread.

CHICKEN, ONION, AND RAISIN STEW

Steps:

• Combine raisins and vinegar in small bowl; set aside. Cook onions in large saucepan of boiling water 5 minutes. Drain; cool slightly. Trim and peel onions.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to same pot. Working in batches, add chicken to pot and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add chicken to bowl with onions. Add tomatoes with juices, broth, wine, coriander, honey, allspice, and 1 teaspoon pepper to pot. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken and onions to pot. Stir in bay leaves, orange peel, cinnamon stick and oregano. Cover tightly and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
• Stir raisin mixture and remaining 2 tablespoons oil into stew. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl.

BEEF TONGUE WITH RAISIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Simmer the tongue in water to cover with one onion, coarsely chopped, the carrots, celery and garlic, for about three hours or until tender. Turn off heat and leave the tongue in its cooking broth while you prepare the sauce.
• Chop the remaining onion and saute in the butter in a small pan. Add the raisins and the almonds and fry until the almonds are golden brown.
• Stir in the vinegar and tomato paste, then add the Madeira and stock. Simmer for three minutes to reduce slightly, season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
• Peel the tongue and slice it. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and pour the sauce over the top.

ONION SOUP WITH GRUYERE AND MADEIRA

Steps:

• Place the onion, butter, oil, thyme, bay leaves, salt, sugar and paprika powder in a large heavy-based saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time. The onions should be dark golden and soft.
• Stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for a further 10 minutes.
• Pour in the wine, stir to combine, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the stock and cook over a medium heat for a further 20 minutes (the soup can be prepared up to 48 hours ahead up to this point and re-heated when needed).
• Preheat the oven to 190C-375F
• Scatter a little cheese (don't use it all) over the bottom of 8 oven-proof soup bowls placed on a baking sheet.
• Pour in the soup, rub the toast slices with the garlic clove and float on the top of soup.
• Top with the remaining cheese and place in the oven until bubbling and golden brown, about 10-20 minutes.
• Beat together the egg yolks, cream, brandy and Madeira. When the soup is ready to serve, lift the cheesy crust and pour cream mixture into the soup, or serve in a jug and offer separately to your guests.

SWEET AND SOUR CABBAGE SOUP WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Brown the beef in in large dutch oven or stock pot over medium high heat.
• After a few minutes, add the onion, and continue cooking until the onions are transparent, and most of the pink is gone from the meat, about 10 minutes total.
• Drain any excess grease from the meat and onions, and return to the pan.
• Add the cabbage and 1/4 cup of the water, cover, and cook over medium heat until the cabbage is limp and getting tender, but still holds its shape, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the vegetables in the soup are as tender as you would like, about 30 minutes.
• Serve with additional lemon juice and fresh ground pepper, to taste.
• Like many soups, this is much better the second day after the flavors have a chance to blend.