Favorite French Onion Soup

served here with a pesto chicken panini

All time favorite at this house, so I have tweaked and tweaked till I am really happy with this recipe.

Favorite French Onion Soup


Ingredients:
3 Large Vidalia Onions sliced
2 Leeks sliced
1 Fennel bulb chopped
mushrooms
Thyme
black pepper
olive or canola oil
6 oz red wine
beef broth (use Vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
Gruyere cheese
good bread

Directions:
Saute in large deep pan or stock pot with oil onions, fennel, leeks till carmalized.  Add mushrooms, Thyme to taste, pepper and saute a few more minutes.  Deglaze pan with red wine let cook about a minute then add broth to cover vegetables, let simmer for at least 30 minutes while simmering taste to see if you'd like more spice.  Toast bread and cut into cubes.  Slice cheese.

Ladle soup into oven proof bowls till full, put toasted bread cubes on top lay cheese over top and broil till bubbly.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.