SWISS ONION SOUP

SOURCE: NIKA STANDEN HAZELTON. THE SWISS COOKBOOK.

Spanning almost two centuries, Bern has held an annual outdoor market fair on every fourth Monday of November to venerate the onion. For 12 hours of Zibelemärit, more than half of the stalls, which have filled up the town square outside the Federal Palace, sell a diverse selection of onion products. Red and yellow bulbs are arranged into shimmering ornate wreaths, braids, and figurines that entice and advise potential buyers to stock up for the incoming winter. Hungry tourists and visitors enjoy a serving of onion tarts and onion soups, the latter dish being more pervasive across the southern Alsatian region of France, according to Pierre Gaertner and Robert Frederick in their cookbook, The Cuisine of Alsace. Because the onions are not subject to prolonged exposures to heat, the Swiss Onion Soup can humbly claim itself as a rightful ivory cousin of the French.

Ingredients

1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter

6 large white onions, finely chopped

4 cups/1000 mL full cream milk

2 cups/500 mL water or homemade beef stock

2 cups/227 grams coarsely grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyère

6 slices of stale white bread, diced into bite-sized cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon/1 gram Hungarian paprika OR saffron

OPTIONAL: Finely chopped parsley and chives for garnish

Specific Equipment

Heavy-bottomed stockpot

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a stockpot under moderate heat. Stir in the chopped onions and cook slowly for 5 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.

2. Pour in the milk and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the grated cheese and bread. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Sprinkle in the saffron or paprika. Simmer for another 5 minutes while stirring occassionally.

4. Ladle the soup in individual soup bowls or a large serving tureen. Garnish with parsley or chives, if desired.