Guinness Onion Soup

What's an Irish girl to do when she is sick as a dog at the start of St Patty's Week?  No chicken noodle soup is going to do...not today.  Guinness onion soup is what the doctor ordered.  This soup is much like French onion soup, with an Irish twist.  Simple ingredients, bold flavors, warming, and comforting...this soup is the perfect way to kick off the week, and kick out my cold.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large yellow onions (or 6 small), thinly sliced
• Sea salt
• 1 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 15oz can Guinness Stout (not Extra Stout)
• 6 cups beef stock
• 6 slices crusty bread, toasted
• 6oz Irish cheddar

Let's Get Started:

• Heat evoo in large skillet
• Add onions, season with salt, and cook for 5 minutes
• Add garlic, cook for 1 minute
• Reduce heat to low, cook for 15 minutes or until onions are completely caramelized
• Add thyme, bay leaf, vinegar, and beer
• Reduce beer by half, and add beef stock
• Bring to simmer and cook for 10 more minutes
• Preheat the broiler
• Remove bay leaf from soup
• Equally divide the soup between 6 broiler-proof soup bowls or ramekans (should be about a cup per bowl), leaving at least half an inch at the top
• Top each ramekan with toasted bread and cheddar slices
• Broil until cheese melts and starts to brown
• Serve right away

Onions and garlic have long been used to battle respiratory ailments such as colds, coughs, and asthma, not to mention their strengths in heart health and cancer prevention.  This soup is chalk full of them, and warms you right down to your Irish soul.

*Recipe adapted from Easy Entertaining With Michael Chiarello*