INGREDIENTS
Recipe by executive chef Neil Taylor.
French Onion Soup
with Raclette Cheese
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients
4 red onions (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
½ bottle Cedar Creek Estate Merlot
4 tbs AP flour
2 litre of beef stock
200g raclette cheese or any other strong cheese such as gruyere
1 baguette (sliced into 2cm slices)
Method
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
2. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are almost dry, about 5 minutes
3. Discard the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme sprigs. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low so the flour doesn’t burn. stir quite frequently and cook for 10 minutes or so or until the flour has cooked out and there is no raw flour taste.
4. Now add the beef stock, bring the soup back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat your broiler to high and put the baguette slices onto a sheet tray. Cover each slice with the grated raclette and put under the broiler until the cheese has melted and become golden brown.
6. Ladle the soup in bowls and put 1-2 of the raclette croutons on top and serve
7. ENJOY!
1. Pre-heat your oven to 325 F
2. In a heavy based dutch oven over a medium-high heat fry the sausage meat until golden brown and nicely caramelised, making sure that break any larger pieces up using a wooded spoon (some larger pieces are ok but not too large)
3. Pour the wine into the pan scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift up all the caramelised sausage meat and reduce the wine by ½
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer
5. Add the chicken stock and bring back to a simmer
6. Season with salt and pepper if needed and then cover with a tight fitting lid and put into the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, checking and stiring half way. For the last 15 minutes of cooking remove the lid and let the top of the ragu start to caramelise slightly. It’s ready when the liquids have reduced by about ¾ and the ragu looks thick and nicely reduced.
7. Meanwhile put a large pot of water onto boil with a some salt ready to cook the pasta and cook the pasta as per the packets instructions
8. To serve bring the ragu up to the boil and add the sour cream, chopped parsley and the red wine vinegar, taste and season if needed, the ragu should now look glossy, thick and slightly creamy. Add the pasta to the ragu, gently bringing the two together in the pan and serve onto warmed plates
9. Grate over some pecorino or parmesan and tuck in!