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Three Onion Soup with Parmesan Prosciutto Crust

Three Onion Soup with Parmesan Prosciutto Crust

3 Onion Soup in a scalloped edge white bowl with a spoon

I can’t let #NationalSoupMonth roll by again without setting you up for another win. With only three types of onions and a couple of cans of tomatoes, this Cipolline Onion Soup will surprise you with its stick-to-the-ribs quality. Have you thought about having a Soup Pot Lucky yet? Trust me, it’s a great way to fill your freezer with soups in oh so many flavors. Traditionally, onion soups are topped with a crusty bread slice and some melty cheese. What’s wrong with that? Well, uh, nothing. But can it be better? Yes, it can! How about creating a “crouton” out of prosciutto topped with Gruyere and Parmesan that has taken its turn under the broiler. Oh yeah! I’m talking crispy pork and melty cheese. Game over!

Three Onions: shallots, cipolline onions and spanish onions

Best Onions for Onion Soup

Onion soup is most commonly made with Vidalia or Spanish onions, and there’s nothing wrong with that. They both bring a certain level of sweetness which provides a nice layered flavor when offset by the wine used to deglaze the pan. But I recently spied some boxes of cipolline onions from our friends at Melissa’s at my local grocery. Yaaas! I bought a mixture of cipolline, some large Spanish onions and a few shallots for this soup. When picking cipolline, like other root vegetables, choose onions that are firm and show no signs of moisture, green shoots, or dark spots. Humidity is no BFF to onions or garlic, so it’s best to store them outside the fridge in a cool place to extend their life.  If you are worried about peeling all those small flat cipollines – or if you ever have shied away from pearl onions just because of the peeling process – check out my notes in the first step of the recipe below. 

Melissa's Cipolline Onions

With all the sweetness from the three types of onions, I chose port wine to deglaze the pan. Adding a liquid to the pan after caramelizing the onions makes it easy to scrape up all those flavorful brown bits stuck in the pan. Don’t leave that behind! We work hard for that fond. You could also use a red wine in this recipe, but port is fortified and adds a robust depth of flavor, elevating simple ingredients to something more sublime.

3 Onion Soup in a white mug with a spoon. Close up of the Prosicutto Gruyere Topping Once you brown the onions, the rest is pretty much a dump and simmer recipe. It takes some time – an hour of simmering – to reduce the liquid and develop the rich flavors, but you just need to throw a little side-eye in the pot’s direction from time to time. It doesn’t need your full attention. 

Swap Your Top

I love the idea of replacing a soggy – although admittedly tasty – blob of bread with a crispy prosciutto crust on top of the onion soup. Just fold a piece of prosciutto to double it up, then top with grated Gruyere and Parmesan and run it under the broiler. You will NOT be sorry. 

Cipolline Onion Soup with Prosciutto Parmesan Crust 

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3 Onion Soup in a scalloped edge white bowl with a spoon

Three Onion Soup with Parmesan Prosciutto Crust


  • Author: Katy Keck
  • Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 3+ quarts, serving 6 - 8 1x

Description

Capping off #NationalSoupMonth this year with a hearty three-onion soup, topped with a “crouton” of prosciutto and melted Gruyere and Parmesan. This will warm your soul. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds cipolline onions
  • 2 pounds sweet onions
  • 4 shallots
  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup port
  • 2 14.5-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
  • 3 quarts beef stock
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 Tablespoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Garnish:

  • 68 slices prosciutto
  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • Chopped parsley

Instructions

Prepare the cipollines, onions, and shallots:

Trim, peel and slice thinly. To peel the cipolline onions easily, trim the root end and drop in boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Spread the cipollines out on a towel to dry. The skin should slip off quite easily at this point.  To make slicing more stable, cut the cipollines in half from root to stem and lay cut side down on a cutting board. Slice cross-wise into half rings.

Divide butter between two heavy-bottom stockpots (or one stockpot and one large skillet).  Likewise, divide both kinds of onions and the shallots between the pans, and sauté until deeply golden brown, about 20 – 25 minutes.

Deglaze the pans:

Divide the port between pans, and reduce until almost evaporated, scraping up brown bits.  Transfer all onions to one stockpot.

Simmer:

Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes.

Puree 2 cups of the onion-tomato mixture with 2 cups beef stock and add puree back to stockpot. Alternatively, add 2 cups beef stock to the pot and pulse with an immersion blender a couple times to thicken the mixture, while leaving lots of texture in tact. Add remaining beef stock, thyme and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Prepare garnish:

Fold each prosciutto slice in half and arrange on a foil-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with Gruyere and about half the Parmesan. Melt the cheese until bubbly and the prosciutto starts to crisp under the broiler. 

Serve:

Divide the soup between bowls and float a prosciutto on each bowl.  Sprinkle lightly with remaining Parmesan and top with chopped parsley.

Notes

I divided the onions into two pans while browning to increase the cooking surface area. This will prevent sweating (instead of the intended browning) the onions which happens when you do too many at once. If you want to keep this to one pot, you could also do this in batches.

If you are not a fan of prosciutto, you can old-school it with toasted baguette slices topped with the cheeses and popped under the broiler. And if you are vegan, skip the butter in favor of olive oil, use vegetable stock, and ditch the toppings altogether. The soup has layered flavors and is yummy with or without the toppings.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop

Here are some other great soups to fill your freezer. I make a big pot almost every Sunday and freeze most of it in 2-4 portion containers so that I always have a half-dozen flavors on demand. Just take it out in the morning and put it in the fridge to thaw, and you will be set for a hearty dinner when you get home. 

Kicked Up Kick Off Chili

Mug with yellow rim and red and blue pattern, filled with chili and a spoon close up of chili with scallions and cheddar

Southwestern Pork & Posole

spoonful of pork and polose with lime and cilantro garnish

CaribBEAN One Pot Wonder

Green bowl filled with CaribBean One Pot Wonder, with pork, sweet potatoes, kidney beans and topped with pineapple salsa

Mulligatawny Soup with Roasted Blueberries + Black Rice

© Copyright: KatyKeck.com 2018. All rights reserved.

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Kicked Up Kick Off Chili

Kicked Up Kick Off Chili

Mug with yellow rim and red and blue pattern, filled with chili and a spoon close up of chili with scallions and cheddar

It’s last call for #NationalSoupMonth, and we are in the final countdown for Super Bowl LI. It seems like a good time to crack out a recipe I did for Cutty Sark Scotch – a Super Bowl campaign that involved scotch-laden wings, pigs, Kick Off Chili, cheesy bread bowls and more. Over the years, I have done more than my share of recipe development for liquor companies, but I am always particularly happy to do culinary recipes that go beyond the bar.

Sometimes the categories are wide open and I am on my own to get uber creative, and sometimes every last ounce of energy goes into meeting the numerous (inordinate?) parameters the client has identified. And other times, it’s a technical culinary challenge: find the perfect moment to add the alcohol. Add it too early and it cooks off with nary a trace; too late and it can be bitter or boozy. And, bitter and boozy is exactly what the messenger is thinking of me, when he rolls up with yet another bottle of my client’s elixir. It’s a dirty, rotten job, but somebody’s got to do it!

Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky bottle

I have a little bit of a soft spot for Cutty Sark – my mother sometimes drank it….”Cutty and soda with a twist, for the lady,” my father would order. But not until this job did I consider adding it to chili. It is a remarkable improvement. The peaty flavors of scotch add a real depth of flavor and complexity that make this dish more than the sum of its parts. You can experiment with other brands or even other types of whisky, but like I said……the job………my mom….Cutty is what I always reach for.

Cup of Chili topped with kidney beans and tomatoes

You have let me know how fond you are of dump and stir recipes, so after the posole recipe, I figure I owe you. This chili is a snap to make. Other than draining the beef after browning, there is no heavy lifting. You will note that I am light on seasonings here – using all these convenience (read: canned) products means you are going to get more than your fair share of sodium. Personally, I have moved toward using low or no-sodium stock for most soups these days, but it’s the Super Bowl people….all bets are off!

This soup is perfect for a party. Make a tray of toppings and let guests add their favorites. #TouchDown

Kick Off Chili with All the Toppings - close up with tomatoes, scallions and grated cheddar

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Cutty Sark Kick Off Chili in a Mug with yellow rim and red and blue pattern, and a spoon close up of chili with scallions and cheddar

Cutty Sark Kick Off Chili


  • Author: Katy Keck
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 Hungry Boy Servings 1x

Description

This is a spin on a recipe I once developed for Cutty Sark, as part of a Super Bowl campaign. The complex layering and depth of flavor which result from adding scotch to this dish have made it my go-to recipe when making a hearty winter chili.  


Ingredients

Scale

Chili

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground round
  • 3 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 Tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, and their juices
  • 3 16-ounce cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 14.5 ounce can beef broth
  • 3/4 cup Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste

Toppings and Serving Suggestions:

  • Shredded Cheddar
  • Sour Cream
  • Sliced Scallions
  • Avocado
  • Warm Flour or Corn Tortillas
  • Corn Chips

Instructions

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
  1. Turn burner to high heat and add ground round, breaking into large chunks. Cook until browned, about 10 – 12 minutes; drain off any liquid.
  2. Add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and stir for 1 – 2 minutes to toast spices.
  3. Add tomatoes, beans, beef broth, scotch, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Category: Soups & Stews
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: South of the Border

It’s the last day of #NationalSoupMonth and Super Bowl is fast approaching – so shout it out!

Mug with yellow rim and blue and red pattern, filled with chili topped with scallions and grated cheddar

© Copyright: KatyKeck.com 2017. All rights reserved.

Hey, we want to hear from you!

Don’t forget to Comment, Share & Subscribe to our blog.

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