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Title: Beefy French Onion Soup
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

      6 tb butter or margarine
      1 tb salad oil
  3 1/2 lb beef shank
      1 lg onion; finely chopped
      2 lg carrots; thinly sliced
      1 tb salt
    1/2 ts whole black peppercorns
      5    parsley sprigs
      1    bay leaf
      8 c  water
      8 md onions, thinly sliced; in
           -rings
      1    clove garlic; minced or
           -pressed
      2 tb flour
      1 c  dry white wine
      6    thick slices French bread
      1 c  shredded Swiss cheese
      1 c  shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large soup kettle (at least six-quart size), heat 1 tablespoon of the
butter and all of the oil. Add beef shanks and brown well on all sides. Add
chopped onion, carrots, salt, pepper, parsley, bay leaf, and water. Bring
to
a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 3 hours, until broth is
richly flavored.
Strain broth into a large bowl. When meat is cool enough to handle, cut
into
chunks and return it, with marrow from bones, to broth; discard vegetables
and bones. Chill soup; skim off fat. (This much can be done 1 to 2 days
ahead.)
In same large soup kettle, heat remaining 5 tablespoons butter. Add sliced
onions, cover, and cook until limp, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over
low heat, stirring frequently, until onions brown lightly, about 30 minutes
longer. (Reduce heat if onions become too brown.) Stir in garlic and flour.
Cook and stir until bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in about 4 cups of
the
broth. Return to heat; mix in remaining broth with beef; add wine. Bring to
a gentle boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until ready to serve. Salt to
taste.
Meanwhile, place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 250 degree
oven. Toast until bread is very dry and barely browned (about 30 minutes).
Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the mixed cheeses over each toast slice.
To serve, ladle soup into heatproof bowls. Top each with a cheese-and-toast
slice. Place under broiler, about 5 inches from heat, until cheese is
melted
and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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NOTES : The traditional soup of the legendary Paris market, Les Halles, is
a
rich beef broth, dense with onions, crowned with cheese-laden toast, and so
filling it is almost a main dish. Here, to take it one rich step further,
the broth is made with meaty beef shanks. All this soup needs to become a
meal is a leafy salad with an oil and vinegar dressing, and a robust red
wine. The broth can be prepared a day or more in advance.

Preparation Time: 6:00

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