I get asked quite often why I like to cook. The first reason I give is normally because I like to eat. I am Thai and food is a big factor in our culture. We greet each other with hello followed by 'have you eaten? When guests turn up at your house it's safe to assume that they will expect to be fed.

The second reason is that as I grew up in the Northeastern part of Thailand, the poorest region, food was always hard to come by. We weren't hungry as there was always rice, but it was difficult finding something to go with rice. Now I do have ingredients to go with rice, I want to cook!

Thursday 24 November 2016

French Onion Soup.


French Onion Soup.


This is a lovely, warming and peppery soup with natural sweetness of the onions. The soup is rather sweet, therefore savoury and salty cheese on toast complements it perfectly. It really needs this savoury note. There are some recipes that suggest you top your soup bowl with croutons, cheese and place under a hot grill, I cooked the cheese on toast separately. I wasn't sure if my bowl could withstand such heat and did not want to find out. The cheesy bread, having been cooked separately, retains its crunch and crispiness. As I had said before, regarding the sweetness of the soup, to counter-balance that fact I may have overloaded the soup with black pepper!


Serves 6.


In a casserole pan, with 2tbsp butter, put in

-1.2kg sliced onions,

-2 cloves chopped garlic,

-4-5 bay leaves,

-1tsp sea salt.

Cook, stirring for around 30 minutes on medium heat or until the onions have caramelised, add

-1tbsp black pepper,

-1 litre stock (I used ham stock).

Leave to simmer gently for another 30 minutes.


For the toasts.

Lightly toast 6 slices of bread.

Top with 300g grated cheese.

Place in 220c fan forced oven for 12-15 minutes.

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