French Onion Soup

It's a cold, gloomy day in Boston, with snow in the forecast, and not much on the schedule. Perfect, in other words, for this soup. This is not a quick one; the original version is lying when it says you will get caramelized onions in a half hour. Budget at least an hour for that stage.

On the other hand, the ingredient list is short, and this soup will look after itself for most of the time it's cooking. I have altered this recipe somewhat from the original Cooking Light version, but you are welcome to try to caramelize onions in a whisper of olive oil. I usually make a half recipe of this, since the kids aren't yet to an age where they like this kind of thing.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

8 cups sliced onion; I use a mix of yellow, sweet, and red, and slice them thickly
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 cups less-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 oz French or other sturdy bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 slices Swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sugar, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for an hour or so, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown. 
2. Stir in wine, and cook for 1 minute. 
3. Add broth and thyme; bring to a boil. 
4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours. 
5. Preheat broiler. Place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until toasted, turning after 1 minute.
6. Place 8 ovenproof bowls (if making the full recipe) on a jelly-roll pan. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Divide bread evenly among bowls; top each serving with 1 cheese slice. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.

Spicy Fish Stew

This is an ancient recipe in my personal repertoire - it came from Cooking Light at least fifteen years ago. I have no idea where my physical copy of the recipe is, and had to hunt for it online using what I remembered from the ingredient list. It is just as good as I remembered it!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups red potato, halved (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded peeled tomato
1 1/2 cups clam juice
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds cod or other lean white fish fillets, cut into 3- x 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onion, bell pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. 
3. Add potato and next 7 ingredients (potato through bay leaf); bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. 
5. Stir in cod and sherry; cook an additional 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Stir in parsley.