Onion Soup from Darcy in the Kitchen

Darcy's Onion Soup

My husband did the shopping the day we made Darcy’s Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches. If you know him, you’ll know that once in a while, he tends to overdo things and so it was we ended up with a lot of leftover deli roast beef, submarine buns and provolone cheese. Making some regular roast beef sandwiches would have been easy enough, but Darcy had an idea to serve the sandwiches with homemade onion soup. She made great use of the extra submarine buns turning them into giant croutons and used the leftover provolone.

It’s been a long time since onion soup has been made in my kitchen (and a long time since those onion soup bowls came off the top shelf). The aroma as the onions cooked was fantastic and Darcy’s combination of ingredients was right on the money. So good! Oh yes, and here’s a tip from Darcy to remember as you get ready to enjoy your first spoonful: The bowl and the soup are very HOT, and the cheese is rubbery so use the edge of your bowl to cut the cheese strings. 

Darcy’s Onion Soup

Preheat oven to 375º F.

The main ingredient

5 or 6 medium onions, halved and sliced thin

¼ cup butter

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

splash of water

1 tsp thyme

½ cup port

8 cups beef broth

4 submarine buns or 4 slices bread

½ lb provolone cheese, sliced thin

Making the croutons from submarine buns

In a large soup pot over low heat, melt butter. Add olive oil to melted butter. Add onions and a splash of water. Cover and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cover from pot continue cooking for about 45 minutes. Stir with love at regular intervals to prevent onions from sticking.

Add thyme, port and beef broth to onion mixture. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.

Float the crouton on top of the soup

While the soup simmers, use a biscuit cutter to make large round croutons out of buns or breads. The rounds should be able to fit into the soup bowl. (Darcy used the largest Pampered Chef biscuit cutter.) Place the rounds onto a baking sheet and toast them in the oven. This happens quickly so keep an eye on them.

To assemble: 

Place the soup bowls on a baking sheet. 

Fill each bowl with soup, float a toasted round on top of the soup, and place a slice of cheese on top of the round.

Top with provolone

Broil until browned and bubbly

Set oven to broil. Place the tray of soup bowls under the broiler and cook until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

The bowls and the soup will be very hot, so allow a little cooling time before digging in.


Printable Recipe for Darcy's Onion Soup

Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches from Darcy in the Kitchen

 Darcy's Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwich

Philadelphia has their Cheesesteak Sandwich and now, thanks to my daughter Darcy, Manitoba has ours.

As the name implies, a cheesesteak sandwich has something to do with cheese and something to do with beef. The cheese in this Manitoba version is provolone and the steak is roast beef, and they both came thinly sliced from the deli counter at the grocery store. Darcy adds lots of sautéed mushrooms and garlic, caramelized onions and some bell pepper strips. And then there is the option (though Darcy would probably say it’s not optional) of melting your favourite cheez-in-a-jar and drizzling it liberally over everything. She used submarine rolls, but you can cut up some Italian or French bread for your sandwich base.

To me the ingredients are a wee bit pricey for a sandwich, especially the provolone and the deli roast beef. But you really get a lot of food and a ton of taste so it’s well worth it. This makes up four very large and delicious sandwiches. You will not be hungry after eating one.

Darcy’s Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches

 Preheat oven to 375º F.

4 large submarine or sausage buns, slice horizontally if they aren’t already sliced

extra virgin olive oil

2 white onions, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

4 tsps minced garlic

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 to 1 ½ lbs deli roast beef, sliced thin

½ to ¾ lb provolone cheese, sliced thin

cheez in a jar, melted (optional)

Stir some love into the onions and peppers

In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add onions and sauté until very soft. Add peppers and garlic and continue sautéing until all are softened, about ten minutes, stirring often with love. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Sauteed mushrooms waiting for assembly

Add mushrooms to frying pan and sauté until nicely browned. (Note: you can cook the mushrooms with the onions and peppers if you like. Not everyone at our house enjoys mushrooms, so we cook them separately.) Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Warm the roast beef slices

Place roast beef slices in frying pan and sauté for a few minutes until they are warmed through and softened.

If using the cheez in a jar, melt some in a bowl and keep it warm for drizzling. We used the microwave but a double boiler would work, too.

On a large baking tray, open out the four buns and assemble the sandwiches using the onions and peppers, mushrooms, roast beef, and melted cheez. Finish with a layer of provolone.

Place in oven until the provolone is nicely melted.   

Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe for Darcy's Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Now that's a big sandwich!