Mushroom and French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup and Mushroom Soup has to be two of my favourite soups in the world. While I was thinking of what to cook for Little Thumb Up's mushroom month, I thought it would be great to combine the these two into one delicious soup, so that I can have the best of both worlds in one bowl.  

The sweetness of the soup comes from the caramelised onions which was patiently sauteed on the stove for nearly 40 minutes till it turns a beautiful golden shade. The sauteed mushrooms, broth and white wine are then added, and these are stewed over a low flame into a thick-ish broth for another hour so as to bring out the richness of the ingredients. This is not one of those soups which can made in a hurry but certainly well worth the wait.  

This soup isn't complete without a serving of crusty bread and cheese which are toasted in the oven - so you get crispy toast with melted cheese, which is eaten soaked into the soup. The combination of soup and bread makes a wonderfully, hearty first course to a full meal or perhaps a light lunch. Totally delicious and healthy!

Mushroom and French Onion Soup (Serves 2)
Recipe by Mich @ Piece of Cake

Ingredients

• 200 g of mixed mushrooms, chopped
• 2 pieces of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium white onions, sliced or diced
• 1-2 bay leaves
• A few sprigs of rosemary or thyme
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 5 cups of stock (beef, chicken or vegetable - I used home made vegetable stock)
• Salt to taste

To serve:

• 4 slices of home-made crusty bread (Or store-bought if you don't make bread) 
• Cheese
• Parsley 

Method

• Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot. Stir fry the onions till its soft, brown and caramelised, about 30 to 40 mins. Set aside.
• In another pan, heat up the other 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat up the garlic and stir fry the mushrooms till soft and fragrant, about 5 mins.
• Pour the mushrooms into the pot with the cooked onions. Put in the 1/2 cup of wine, 5 cups of stock, rosemary/thyme and bay leaves. 
• Boil till the liquid is reduced and slightly thickened, about 45 mins to 1 hour.
• Toast the bread with shredded cheese in the oven till cheese melts.
• Garnish the soup with parsley and serve with the toast. 

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen for my little favourite D.I.Y., and hosted by Joyce, kitchen flavours.

This is for Made with Love Mondays by Javelin Warrior.