Tag: onions

Shuga' Mommas

Shuga’ Mommas: French Onion Soup

thegraduatewifeLeave a comment

It’s Autumn in Oxford.

I have been absolutely wishing Summer away this year. I’ve been ready for Autumn since June – I love the cool nights, chunky sweaters, falling leaves, and scrummy apples. However, I do not love gale force winds, torrential rain, or walking to work in gale force winds and torrential rain. I take it all back. Please, Summer, come back. I promise to love you right.

Sigh.

With this wonderful stay-inside kind of weather, I began to think about soup. A friend of mine sent this French Onion Soup recipe to me awhile ago, but I hadn’t had the chance to make it. Since we were inside most of the day on Sunday, I decided to try it.

Oh my.

It was heaven in a bowl. I’m not a huge fan of French Onion Soup, but this recipe was to die for. If you need a yummy-stay-inside-kind-of-weather soup, then make this. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

A couple of notes:

1. Use a good quality bottle of red wine to put into the soup. More than likely, you’ll want to drink the rest with dinner.

2. This recipe will take a full two hours to prepare. So, be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen.

3. I know gruyere cheese is a bit pricey in the USA. Trust me, it’s worth paying the extra $. It makes the soup.

4. You can make this recipe gluten free. Use gluten free flour, and either make or buy a gluten free french baguette. Or if you want to make french bread, some good recipes here: Gluten Free on Shoestring or Gluten Free Goddess.

What’s your favorite soup to eat during Autumn?

-Mandy

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Shuga' Mommas

Shuga’ Mommas: Asparagus, Mushroom & Bacon Frittata

thegraduatewifeLeave a comment

I love the versatility of frittatas. It’s a dish you can adjust ingredients according to whatever season of the year you’re in, making it hearty in the autumn/winter months, and light in the spring/summer months. And, you can serve variations of it over and over without feeling like you’re eating the same thing again and again and again!

My favorite summer combination is asparagus, mushroom and bacon. We are right at the tail-end of asparagus season in England, so the asparagus is superb. I love adding it to recipes or grilling it to pair with a roast chicken.

ASPARAGUS, MUSHROOM & BACON FRITTATA

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • bundle of asparagus
  • 10-12 brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 5-7 strips of bacon
  • taleggio, mozzarella or cheddar cheese (whatever you fancy)!

Preheat oven to 350F.

Fry or bake bacon. Set aside to cool, then tear into pieces.

Pour a bit of olive oil in a pan, and saute mushrooms and onion for 5 minutes. Cut woody ends off of asparagus (you might want to save these, as they make great stock!), and slice stalks diagonally. Add to veggies and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Once veggies are finished, add bacon and disperse evenly through a baking dish (I normally use a pie pan).

In a separate bowl whisk eggs until fully mixed. Tip slowly into baking dish, pouring over veggies, until distributed evenly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tear pieces of cheese and drop onto top of frittata (in the autumn/winter months, I usually use taleggio; in the spring/summer months, I use fresh mozzarella).

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

This recipe will serve 4 people.

credit

Serve with toast, a side of fruit, and a jug of juice!

What’s your favorite type of frittata?

-Mandy