In the Kitchen: You’ll cry for this soup

On many occasions, tears have been shed in the kitchen. Tears of laughter, sorrow, stress or joy have all happened in my kitchen. But the number one reason you will catch me shedding a tear in the kitchen is … onions. For some crazy reason no matter what, I always begin to shed a tear by the time I’m slicing that second onion.

Besides making you cry onions can have many good qualities including benefits to your health. Not only do they help bring down the swelling of a bee sting but they are great for assisting in the regulation of blood sugar.

Onions have all of these great benefits but I truly believe without onions there is no food. Onions are a core component to cooking. They help to heighten and enlighten everything from soups and stocks to pot roasts and chickens. When was the last time you made a meal from scratch and didn’t reach for an onion? And if you don’t recall the last time you peeled one, perhaps you should get on the bandwagon. It will make all the difference in the world to your cooking.

So really you can see my problem here. I cry just about every time I go to cook something. I have learned that this is the inevitable.

Breathe in through your mouth, they say. Look up, they say. ( I don’t find this to be very safe, I say.) Rinse the onion in water before you cut, they say. No matter what I do I get my tear ducts drained and my sinuses cleansed every time I cut an onion.

I fear that all the other chefs at work think I’m an emotional wreck. The head chef thinks I’m upset every time he speaks to me before, during or after cutting onions. I’m the crazy emotional chick who can’t hold her tears back on the other side of the kitchen. The only benefit to this is that men basically fear a crying woman who is holding a knife, dare they get to close for they fear what might happen next. So if I am in need of a little space at my station in the kitchen all it takes is about a half-dozen onions and I’ve got myself some quiet time.

In honor of this wonderful and powerful vegetable I have gone ahead and made classic French onion soup. It is perfect for feeding a full house or trying to warm up on these cool fall nights.

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Kayleigh’s Classy French Onion Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs sweet onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick into half moons
2 T sugar
4 T unsalted butter
2 T flour
2 sprigs fresh thyme, de stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
6 C beef broth
4 C shredded Gruyere, Swiss, Asiago, mozzarella, provolone or fontina or a combination
1 baguette sliced into 8 – 3/4 in thick slices
Salt and pepper

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onions and sugar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 hour until the onions turn a golden brown, begin to melt and are caramelized. Stirring to prevent the onions from sticking.
• Sprinkle the flour over the onions. Stir until the flour is cooked in. Add the cognac or brandy, stock and thyme. Bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile turn the broiler on high. When the soup is ready pour into 4 soup bowls or crocks that are oven safe. Place 2 pieces of sliced baguette in each bowl and top with about 1/2 cup of cheese and spread into a nice layer. Place under the broiler until the cheese becomes nice and bubbly and golden brown.

Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir.

Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 12 years, working in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.

Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.

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