Dinner for Three

By  posted updated

Every time Marlys and I brainstorm about the evening’s menu together, we are sitting out in the store. The beautiful, bright red, green, and orange jalapeno and habanero peppers in front of us most often inspire a Mexican meal. But the tempting aroma of the Walla Walla Sweet Onions always brings to mind my favorite delicacy of French variety, and we plan to “someday” have a girl party and make French Onion Soup.

Last Friday, we decided it was high time that “someday” became today. But the man coming to our girl party didn’t care for the menu. We promised him a steak if he would close for the day so we could make our soup. It was a bargain.

My sister-in-law and I raced over to my little pink house, with onions in hand. I set the table and lit some candles as Marlys got emotional over the onions. We’ve always had a bond when it comes to onions. After a lengthy visit from her family in 2001, in which much cooking was involved, I sent her the following note:

I thought of you today,
And with the thought came a tear.
I’m missin’ you so much,
Wishin’ you were here.
The tears just kept a-comin’,
As I remembered the fun we’ve had.
Yep, I guess today
I’m missin’ you pretty bad.
So I wrote this little ditty
To tell you of my feelin’s,
And that I thought of you today
While cuttin’ up some onions.

 

But I digress. The table was set, the onions were well salted with tears, three potatoes were baking in the oven, and it was time for the steak for the man of the house. I placed two steaks on a cookie sheet, then rummaged around in the refrigerator for the perfect marinade. I poured Raspberry dressing over each steak, while Marlys cut little slits in the meat so it would soak in. As a final touch, we added a bit of cranberry juice, then set the steaks aside, to complete the more delicate main dish.

French Onion Soup
Cook slowly in large pan until soft:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup sliced onions (or more)
2 or more cloves minced garlic

Add, stir, and cook 1 minute:
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 T. flour

Add and simmer 30 minutes:
4-8 cups water or beef broth
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

Place a slice of toasted French bread in each bowl. Pour soup over the toast, and sprinkle with grated Italian, Mozarella, or Swiss cheese. Set the bowls in a 400 degree oven to melt and brown the cheese.

(A combination of recipes from The Fannie Merritt Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook, copyright 1896-1959, and Reader’s Digest “Like Grandma Used to Make”, copyright 1996.)

My husband came home and reclined on the couch as the dishes were done and the finishing touches completed. “How would you like your steak, sir?” Well, we tried for medium rare. But when the smoke alarm went off, we realized that my little oven wasn’t real partial to broiling steaks. After we got the smoked aired out of the house, and the cheese melted to perfection atop our bowls of soup, we sat down to enjoy a delicious meal for three at our little yellow kitchen table. My husband ate his steak and potato with relish, while my sister-in-law savored every bite of our French Onion Soup.

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4 Comments

  1. Gretchen,
    HI! I love to get new recipes. I can’t wait to try the soup! I hope my husband (of 30 years) enjoys it. I love to make things that he likes.
    Love in Him,
    Carla

    Reply

  2. I really need to get some oven proof bowls. I love French onion soup, and your recipe, Gretchen, made me want some!

    Reply