seasonal-goods

Vegetables; beans-dried, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green,red and savoy cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, swiss chard, garlic-dried, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, red and yellow onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, rutabagas, salad greens, shallots, winter squash and turnips

Fruits; apples, pears, quince

Seafood; clams, pacific cod, crab, sole, lingcod, mussels, pacific oysters, jumbo prawns, sablefish, scallops and albacore tuna

Herbs; bay leaves, chervil, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme

french-onion-soup

Erik and I spent the weekend in Whistler relaxing, hot tub, dinner out with friends, some spa therapy and blueberry tea in the lounge watching football.

Whistler is always relaxing but we still both come home burnt out and needing a break. I was looking through my new Donna Hay, "Seasons", cook book, (my birthday present from Isa;) saw a recipe for French soup and instantly knew that had shaped my dinner plans. The caramelized onion smell cooking on the stove all afternoon by the fire catching up on emails and reading was just what we both needed.

4 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 head of garlic (this may be too much for some, I love it)

1 shallot diced

3 stocks of fresh thyme

3 stocks of fresh rosemary

1/3 cup white wine

1 litre of good beef stock (I like Imagine organics)

1 cup of water

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated pecorino

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot, add the sliced onion and herbs and cook over a low heat until onions have browned. Add the diced garlic and shallots and cook for an additional couple of minutes. Add the wine, beef stock and water to the pot bring to a boil then turn down to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Pour soup into oven safe bowls, top with baguette and grated cheese and place under the broiler for a couple of minutes.