Today on DelmarvaLife –
We talk personal protection with instructors from Atlantic Tactical Firearms Trainers.
Dog training experts from Delmarva K9 talk about how to take care of your pets during the winter months.
From hoisting couches up five stories to moving a 450-pound grand piano down stairs, there’s no task the team at Budget Movers in Ocean City can’t tackle. We talk with owner, Maria Giuffrida about all that this crew can do.
She’s a young girl with a voice beyond her years. Ayla Dennis of Easton dazzles us on the Mid South Audio stage.
We celebrate Grilled Cheese Month with SoDel Concepts by making French Onion Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.
French Onion Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
For the Onions
4 large onions, sliced thin
1 cup beef stock
¼ cup cream sherry
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a large pot on low heat, sweat the onions for about an hour until they are dark and caramelized. Add the sherry, beef stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside the onions.
To assemble the Grilled Cheese
2 slices of great sour dough bread
2 T. mayo
2 slices fontina cheese
2 slices cooper sharp
2 slices swiss cheese
¼ cup of the French onions
Spread the mayo on the outside of the sour dough bread, the side that will be going into the pan or griddle. On medium to medium high heat, place both slices of bread, mayo side down and top one side with the cheese and onions and place the empty slice on top of the slice that has the cheese and onions. Press the grilled cheese firmly to insure a good crispy outside and to help melt the cheese, cheese should be nice and gooey. Remove the grilled cheese from the pan or griddle onto a cutting board. Slice diagonally and serve with the tomato soup.
For the Tomato Soup
1 large onion diced
2 shallots diced
1 bulb garlic diced
12 vine ripe tomatoes or 18 Roma/plum tomatoes quartered
1 quart of chicken stock
2 cups white wine
¼ cup fresh basil finely chopped
2 T. fresh parsley finely chopped
2 T. olive oil
¼ cup parmesan cheese or pecorino Romano
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a large soup pot, sweat the onions, shallots, garlic in about 2 T. olive oil. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until vegetables are translucent. Add the fresh parsley and basil. Next add the quartered tomatoes and cook down with the vegetables for about 10 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a Vitamix, blender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parmesan cheese and a little of the chopped basil. Enjoy with the French onion grilled cheese.
Chef Derek Cantwell, Matt’s Fish Camp Fenwick
French Onion Soup
Classic taste, classic favorite. Once everyone tastes this, they’ll know why we call it Classic French Onion Soup.
What You’ll Need
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 medium-sized sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cups canned beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- 4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices French bread toasted
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
What to Do
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or just until tender. Add broth, Worcestershire, and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in sherry.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Ladle soup into individual 2-cup ovenproof bowls; place bowls on a baking sheet. Top each serving with a slice of bread. Sprinkle cheese evenly over bread. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Use oven mitts to serve the hot bowls of soup.
Notes
Sweet onions make the sweetest French onion soup. But some recipes sauté the sweet onions a little too long, which can make them gummy. My recipe gives them a quick sauté – just long enough to release their flavor – and then simmers them in the soup. How sweet it is!
