The Pro Food

French onion soup is a bistro classic, the most homey and delicious example of good café cooking. But only a handful of frugal ingredients make up this restaurant favorite. Onions, broth, salt, and butter mingle in a slow magic that transforms them into a wildly luxurious bowl of silky onions and dark broth. If you’ve only eaten French onion soup in restaurants, you’ll be shocked at how easy it is to make in your own kitchen. Here is a step-by-step recipe for making the best French onion soup you’ve ever eaten. It’s one of the simplest yet most satisfying soups, and one to learn by heart. The Magic Ingredient: Time French onion soup is probably the most dramatic example of how time is the magic ingredient in cooking, transforming humble foods into a final dish that is far, far more than the sum of its parts. With French onion soup, the lengthy cooking time has two phases: Caramelizing the onions slowly and deliberately, and then simmering the broth for...

Classic Minestrone Soup Finally! It’s about time this blog offered a traditional minestrone soup recipe.  Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup  made with tomato-y broth and pasta or rice. I’ve been working hard on this recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you. Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to  use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand.  I used potatoes and spinach for the soup you see here, and it was absolutely delicious. I listed some alternatives in the recipe, including yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas. That means that you can make seasonal minestrone on cool days from fall through spring! I used canned beans here instead of cooking my own, which cuts the cooking time down to a reasonable weeknight level. The remaining ingredients are basic pantry items, including canned tomatoes, pasta, basic spices and onions.