French Onion Soup — Minister's Style

Morel Stock

1. Place the quart(s) of sautéed morels in an 8-quart stockpot and fill with water until the level of water is 4 inches above the level in the pot. (If you started with dried morels, make sure they fully reconstitute and sink before determining the covering level of the water.)

2. Bring water to a vigorous boil, and cook for 30 minutes, skimming any impurities which rise to the surface.

3. Reduce heat to a spritely simmer. Replace any water that has boiled off, then allow to come back to a simmer.

4. Add 2 whole bay leaves and half of the sliced onions (i.e., 3 of the onions).

5. Cover lightly with the lid, and continue to simmer for 3 hours, replacing the liquid as necessary to maintain a constant level.

6. Pour entire contents of the stockpot through a large stainless steel strainer lined with cheesecloth, catching all the juice with a large pot or bowl(s).

7. Squeeze all the juice you can out of the morels by gathering up the edges of the cheesecloth with the morels in the center, squeezing and wringing until no more juice comes out.

8. Put all the juice back into the stockpot.

9. At this point, the morel remains will have lost their taste, so toss them and any other solids into your compost bin. (If you think the remains still taste good at this point, feel free to use them in another dish).

10. Sauté the other half of the onions (3 onions) in 3 Tbs. unsalted butter or margarine until they are clear, but not browned. Add the sautéed onions, including their residue, to the stockpot.

11. (Optional) Add one very lean short rib of beef, and one additional quart of water. (If you don't add the beef, don't add more water.)

12. Bring the stock to a simmer, then add the paprika, cumin, dried red peppers, rosemary, peppercorns, chili powder, dried oregano, and sage.

13. Continue to simmer until onions are decomposed (about 1 hour). Do not add more water.

14. Add 1 cup dry white wine, and salt to taste.

15. Simmer 15 minutes more, then remove and cool slightly.

You now have a morel stock. If needed, you can stop here and refrigerate the stock for up to a week (or longer if you divide it into mason jars with tightly fitting lids and store in the back of the refrigerator or freeze). Then warm up the stock before continuing.

Bread and Cheese Crust

1. While the soup is cooling, preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Place individual ovenproof serving bowls on a large cookie sheet, and fill with approximately 1 cup of soup each.

3. For each bowl, slice a 5/8" thick round of sweet french bread, large enough to sit on the edges of the bowls without falling in and sinking to the bottom. Toast the slices lightly in a toaster.

4. Place one toasted round of bread on each bowl, then place a slice of swiss cheese on top of the toast.

5. Place the cookie sheet filled with the bowls of soup, toast, and cheese into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, runs slightly, and starts to set again--kinda like the way you like your pizza.

6. Decorate each bowl with one freshly sautéed whole morel on top of the cheese.

Provide freshly ground Parmesan cheese on the table for aficionados.

Bonus Tips from Shea

Brown Stock

Without the bread and cheese, this recipe can be used for any recipe calling for a brown stock. You can add anything else you like to the stock. It happens I don't care much for celery in my soups. I think it changes the morel flavor too much. But, if you like it, by all means add a little.

Morel Glaze

You can also reduce about 2 quarts of the stock to make a glaze (2 cups) by boiling the hell out of it. Then cool and pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Remove from tray and put the cubes into plastic bags or freezer bags for later use in sauces, or as a flavoring for other soups.

--Shea Moss