Craveable
by Seema Pankhania
(Penguin Michael Joseph, £22).
All photography by Haarala Hamilton.
This French Onion Gnocchi Soup is To Die For
This twist on the classic French onion soup is the perfect winter warmer
When it comes to winter soups, French onion soup reigns as the undisputed king. The slow caramelisation of the onions is a labour of love in itself, resulting in a deep, rich flavour that's worth every minute. In this recipe, those beautifully caramelised onions are paired with tender gnocchi, all swimming in a hearty stock infused with the umami goodness of miso and earthy mushrooms. It's the kind of comforting meal that warms you from the inside out. Make this completely veggie by leaving out the Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 500g onions, thinly sliced
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 tbsp miso optional
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or use 1 anchovy, or omit
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or dried rosemary
- 150ml dry white wine or chicken or vegetable stock, plus 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 500g potato gnocchi
- 100g Gruyère cheese (or any melty cheese)
- 50g panko breadcrumbs
- 50g Parmesan, grated or veggie Parmesan or any hard cheese
- olive oil
- salt
Method
In a dry pan over medium heat, cook the mushrooms with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes. The water in the mushrooms will evaporate first, and once they’re dry and start sticking to the pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil and cook for an additional three minutes on a high heat until crispy. Transfer them to a bowl.
Using the same pan (no need to clean it), cook the onions with a generous amount of oil on a medium heat for 25 minutes, until they are very caramelised. Add a tablespoon of water if the pan looks dry and continue cooking.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Crumble the vegetable stock cube into a bowl and add the miso, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir in 500ml of boiling water to
dissolve the stock cube.
Finely chop the garlic and add it to the onions along with the butter and thyme. Cook for
two minutes, then deglaze with the white wine. Bring to a simmer, then add the vegetable stock mixture, cooked mushrooms and the gnocchi. Stir and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Grate half the Gruyère and roughly chop the rest. Mix the roughly chopped cheese into the pan of gnocchi. Transfer the gnocchi mixture to a baking dish and cover it with the breadcrumbs, the grated Gruyère and the Parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until
it turns golden and crispy.
