Serves6
- Active Time:45 min
- Start to Finish:2 3/4 hr
February 2008
Adding a short rib to already richly flavored onion soup sets this version of the French classic apart from all the others you've tried.
For Soup
-
1
(3/4-pound) beef short rib
-
1
tablespoon
canola oil
-
3
large Spanish onions (3 pounds), thinly sliced
-
1
garlic clove, smashed
-
1/2
cup
Madeira
-
8
cups
chicken stock, or 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups water
-
1
thyme sprig
-
1
Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
For Toasts
-
1
(10-inch) piece of baguette
-
1
tablespoon
olive oil
-
1/4
teaspoon
chopped thyme
-
1/4
lb
Brebis Pyrénées (sheep's-milk cheese), grated (1 1/2 cups)
-
1
tablespoon
chopped chives
Make soup:
-
Pat short rib dry, then lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown short rib on all sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
-
Add onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and a brown crust forms on bottom of pot, about 30 minutes. Add Madeira, stirring and scraping up crust, then add stock, thyme, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and short rib with any juices from plate and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until short rib is very tender, about 2 hours.
-
Discard bay leaf and thyme. Shred meat from short rib with 2 forks (discard bone and gristle), then return to pot. Season soup with salt and keep warm, covered, over low heat.
Make toasts while soup simmers:
-
Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
-
Halve baguette crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 (1/4-inch-thick) slices, transferring to a baking sheet. Brush both sides of bread with oil, then sprinkle with thyme and a pinch of salt. Bake until pale golden and dry, about 25 minutes.
-
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle toasts evenly with cheese and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until cheese is melted and toast is golden in some spots, 1 to 2 minutes.
