While making beef stock from scratch is time-consuming, it really makes the best beef broth for French onion soup! Of course, you can always buy beef stock, too (if you are in a hurry)! This serves four as a main course with crunchy French bread and a simple side salad (try mixing tender butter lettuce, sweet green and red leaf lettuce, some crunchy iceberg, confetti light green cabbage, and grated carrot with candied pecans and a light balsamic or Italian dressing).
Ingredients
- water: 12 cups
- beef short ribs: 1 pound
- parsnips: 3 piece (cubed)
- onions: 3 piece (chopped)
- carrots, peeled and: 2 piece (chopped)
- stalks celery with leaves: 2 piece (chopped)
- bay leaves: 2 piece
- salt: 1 tsp
- black pepper: 1 tsp (freshly ground)
- thyme: 1 Tbsp (fresh)
- butter: 0.25 cup
- onions: 4 piece (sliced)
- garlic, smashed: 3 clove
- flour: 0.25 cup (or more if needed)
- herbes de Provence: 1 tsp
- paprika: 1 tsp
- garlic powder: 1 tsp
- fresh parsley: 1 tsp (to taste, chopped)
- fresh thyme: 1 tsp (to taste, chopped)
- dry white wine: 0.25 cup
- dry sherry: 2 Tbsp
- dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®): 1 piece (to taste)
- thick slices French bread: 4 piece
- basil and garlic-flavored olive oil for brushing:
- Gruyère cheese: 2 cups (grated)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place water, beef ribs, parsnips, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme into a large soup pot over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, skimming and discarding foam that forms on top of broth, until broth is a rich brown color, 5 to 6 hours. (Broth may also be made in a slow cooker.) Strain broth, discard ribs and vegetables, and refrigerate extra broth.
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Melt butter in a large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-low heat. Cook onions and garlic until caramelized and brown, about 30 minutes.
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Mix flour, herbes de Provence, paprika, and garlic powder together in a bowl; sprinkle over browned onions. Cook and stir 5 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Stir in parsley and 1 teaspoon thyme.
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Pour in 4 cups beef broth, white wine, sherry, and hot pepper sauce; simmer until flavors have blended and soup has thickened, about 15 minutes. (More time doesn't hurt.)
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Preheat the oven broiler about 15 minutes before serving time. Place a rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
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Brush slices of French bread with flavored olive oil. Toast under the preheated broiler until well-browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Ladle soup into oven-proof soup bowls; place a toasted bread slice on top of each bowl. Sprinkle each bread slice evenly with Gruyère cheese.
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Place the filled soup bowls under the broiler until cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
