There are many, many Italian onion soup recipes. This Milanese onion soup is similar to French onion soup, and contains an abundance of cheese -- Taleggio, a runny cheese from east of Lake Como. If you cannot find Taleggio use a firm Brie.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/3 pounds (1.5 k) onions
- 1/4 pound Taleggo (a soft, mild creamy cheese that in some ways resembles Brie)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 quarts (1.5 l) beef broth
- Sufficient slices of toasted day old bread to make up two layers in your soup pot
- Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano
Preparation:
First, A couple of words about onions: Onions contain a volatile oil, sugars with laxative properties, and a substance that stimulates the kidneys. Onions are diuretic, but only when raw. They are also antidiabetic.
In Lombardia the best onions come from Sermide, in the Province of Mantova, and Mantova also hosts the Cipolla d'Oro, an annual cookoff dedicated to the noble bulb. The ingredients above will serve 4.
Peel the onions and slice them, though not too finely. Heat the butter in a casserole and sauté the onions for about an hour, letting them wilt and gild, and then adding a bit of boiling broth to keep them from browning as they cook. By the end of an hour the onions should have fallen apart; at this point add the remaining broth. Let the soup sit for an hour and put it through a strainer (or blend it). Spread the cheese evenly over the slices of toasted bread and heat them gently in the oven to melt the cheese. Line your soup pot with a first layer of bread, pour half the soup over it, put down the second layer of bread and the remaining soup, and dust the ruface with a goodly layer of freshly grated Grana Padana or Parmigiano. Increase the heat of the oven to about 300 F (150 C), and heat the soup through for 15 minutes before serving it.
Yield: 4 servings cheesy Milanese onion soup.
In Lombardia the best onions come from Sermide, in the Province of Mantova, and Mantova also hosts the Cipolla d'Oro, an annual cookoff dedicated to the noble bulb. The ingredients above will serve 4.
Peel the onions and slice them, though not too finely. Heat the butter in a casserole and sauté the onions for about an hour, letting them wilt and gild, and then adding a bit of boiling broth to keep them from browning as they cook. By the end of an hour the onions should have fallen apart; at this point add the remaining broth. Let the soup sit for an hour and put it through a strainer (or blend it). Spread the cheese evenly over the slices of toasted bread and heat them gently in the oven to melt the cheese. Line your soup pot with a first layer of bread, pour half the soup over it, put down the second layer of bread and the remaining soup, and dust the ruface with a goodly layer of freshly grated Grana Padana or Parmigiano. Increase the heat of the oven to about 300 F (150 C), and heat the soup through for 15 minutes before serving it.
Yield: 4 servings cheesy Milanese onion soup.
