This is one of those easy go to recipes that I love to make when the temperature first starts to drop. There’s really little to no work (other than the onion chopping) and tossing everything into a big pot to let time do the work. The soup is slightly sweet from the onions and just the right amount of salty from the stock – with the beer finish and the melty cheese topping it off I must say my mamma was not messing around!

Ingredients:
6 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs yellow onions
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs flour
1 tsp sugar
6 cans beef consomme
1 bay leaf
1 tbs parsley
1 tsp thyme
1/3 cup dark beer or madeira wine
rye bread (or french bread) slices & swiss cheese for topping


Slice onions so they are all the same size. Melt the butter with the oil in a large soup pot, then add the onions and simmer covered over low heat about 15 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and sugar and then raise heat to moderate and cook another 30 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add beef consomme and herbs, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered for another 30 minutes. Then add the beer or madeira wine, cook just another couple minutes. Pour into bowls, then lay a piece of rye bread (toasted if you’d like), or french bread on top, cover with swiss ooey gooey cheese and voila, a perfect bowl of soup for a crisp fall day!