French onion soup is a classic dish. And, do you know that it has a curious history. That's what's so cool about food and certain dishes. They just don't 'appear' without some background and reason for appearing. And, those that are timeless lasting centuries, well, you know they are classics. There's a connection between this classic dish and my french onion beef stew!
What's the Background of French Onion Soup
Such is the case with french onion soup. Yes, a classic. So, here's one version of it from Vice.
Onion soup has been in France's culinary repertoire for so long that it's nearly impossible to know how it was first invented. While some attribute the recipe to King Louis XV who, returning from a hunt, saw his cupboards were bare except for onions, butter, and Champagne (serious First World problems), others claim Louis got the idea from Stanislas Leszczynski, duke of Lorraine and father of the Queen Consort of France. According to this version, Stanislas first tasted onion soup at an inn in the Champagne region. He found it so delicious that, according to Alexandre Dumas' Grand dictionnaire de cuisine, he asked to see how it was made. While "the smell of the onion [...] brought great tears to his eyes," he managed to copy down the whole recipe.French Onion Beef Stew
So, while this recipe doesn't have the history behind it, it's duly inspired by the tantalizing flavors of the soup. You've not only got some of the components of the soup, you've got chunks of tasty tender beef. And, using a few shortcuts never hurts when cooking, especially when you're super busy and want to get a meal on the table! Here's a bonus with this dish. If there's a lot of broth/gravy left, refrigerate and then make some beef vegetable soup. Just add some vegetable or beef stock to the gravy and your veggies, and you've got yet another delicious meal!
- 2 Tbl. Olive oil
- 1 Tbl. Garlic, finely minced
- 2 to 2 ½ lbs. beef, cut in about 2" chunks, prefer to use ribeye or NY strip cut
- 1/3 cup flour, all purpose
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 package (8 oz.) mushroom simmer sauce + 1 cup water, Seeds of Change
- 1 can (18.5 oz.) French Onion soup, Progresso
- 4 cups onions, thinly sliced, French cut (half moons)
- 1 cup cheese, shredded, gruyere, fontina, swiss,
Ingredients
Instructions
