Creamy Five Onion Soup

George Hirsch February 18, 2025

This deliciously hearty soup is a breeze to prepare and is ideal for those chilly evenings when comfort food is a must. It serves beautifully as a satisfying dinner or as a charming rustic appetizer that warms the soul. A treasured culinary gem of France, it is a classic feature on brasserie menus, made even more delightful with the inclusion of five varieties of sweet onions, each adding layers of flavor and a touch of sweetness that elevate this dish to a new level of warmth and richness.

CREAMY FIVE ONION SOUP | Makes 6-8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 each sweet onions*, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 each Chipolini onions, chopped

1 each red onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

Optional:

1/2 cup half and half

French bread croutons

Parmesan, Emmental, or Gruyere cheese

Preheat a large soup or saucepot to medium heat. Add olive, sweet onions, garlic, cipollini, red onion, and green onion. Cook for 10 minutes without stirring until the onions in the bottom of the pot begin to brown; stir and allow the onions to continue to brown further. Stir and allow onions to cook for an additional five minutes. The total cooking time of onions will be about 20 minutes or more.

Season with thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. Add tomato sauce and flour, and stir. Add white wine and cook for 5 minutes or until dry. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves, then puree one-half of the soup in a blender or food processor.

Return pureed soup back to soup pot. Bring soup back to a boil; reduce the temperature to a simmer. Add optional half and half. Serve with a toasted French bread crouton, top and melt cheddar, grated Parmesan cheese, and jack or Gruyere cheese.

*Note on onions: Soup may be made with any sweet onions and garlic only. Or, you may use the addition of any onion family, such as leeks, chives, etc.

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There's a Sop in My Soup

George Hirsch December 12, 2024

Of course, there is - what would a French onion soup be without a toasted crouton, aka a sop? Sops are used for soaking up a warm liquid, broth, or wine, and was the term used in days of yore. I guess it was only natural that the word soup derived from sop.

The mixture of these five onions gives a nice character to the soup. But, no sweat if you have less than five. Use a sweet onion such as OSO, which I found this week at the market, and you'll have a tasty version. The so-called bar of success in making an onion soup is all the slow cooking and gradual 'caramelizing' of the onions. The onions' natural sweetness adds a rich, robust flavor and golden brown color, the prize in this soup.

*This easy to prepare hearty soup for a cool night makes for a wonderful dinner or rustic appetizer.*

CREAMY FIVE-ONION SOUP

Makes 6-8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 each sweet onions*, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 each Chipolini onions, chopped

1 each red onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

Optional:

1/2 cup half and half

French bread croutons

Parmesan, Emmental, or Gruyere cheese

Preheat a large soup or saucepot to medium heat. Add olive oil, sweet onions, garlic, cipollini onions, red onion, and green onion. Cook for 10 minutes without stirring until the onions in the bottom of the pot begin to brown. Stir, and allow the onions to continue to brown further. Stir and allow onions to cook for an additional five minutes. The total cooking time of onions will be about 20 minutes or more.

Season with thyme, bay leaves, and pepper; add tomato sauce and flour, and stir. Add white wine and cook for 5 minutes or until dry. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves then, and puree one-half of the soup in a blender or food processor.

Return pureed soup back to soup pot. Bring soup back to a boil; reduce temperature to a simmer. Add optional half and half. Serve with a toasted French bread crouton, top with grated Parmesan, and melt Emmental or Gruyere cheese.

*Note on onions: Soup may be made with any type of sweet onions and garlic only. Or, you may add any onion family, such as leeks, chives, etc.

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Soup À La Carte

George Hirsch October 16, 2024

Why not? When buying a new car, you can build a custom auto to your liking. Otherwise, we’d all be driving black cars. So why not create a recipe that allows you to build your own soup? You can then tweak the recipe to play casual or more formal, depending on the occasion.

With a chill in the air, use my Potato and Leek Soup recipe as the base of your soup à la carte; it allows for so much creativity on your part. Basically, this recipe is a blank canvas for you to adapt to the addition of most vegetables, meats, seafood, and legumes.

Tips:

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Use approximately 1 cup of any vegetable, meat, seafood, or legume.

Cut up any additions into small or a maximum of one-half to one-inch pieces. Why so small? Simply, it fits on a soup spoon.

Adjust flavor by grilling a piece of salmon vs. poaching. For a delicate flavor, poach the meat or seafood in the soup itself. For a more robust flavor, pre-grill if you crave a little smoke taste.

Change presentations by serving a larger piece of fish or meat on a soup plate and use a half-cup of the base Potato Leek Soup as a sauce garnish; served around the fish or meat. In a more formal setting, include a knife and fork for the guest’s ease.

Vegetables:

Corn, cabbage, escarole, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, yams, etc.

Meats:

Chicken, pulled pork, smoked ham, cooked pancetta, cooked bacon, etc.

Seafood:

Cod, shrimp, scallops, clams, crabmeat, salmon, oysters, etc.

Dairy & Eggs:

Poached egg, shredded cheese, parmesan, sour cream, yogurt, non-fat half & half, etc.

Legumes:

Black, chickpeas, cannellini, navy, red beans, etc.

A simple staple like a potato can make for a very hearty and satisfying soup.

Potato Leek Soup

Makes eight servings

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1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

1 leek, whites only, washed and chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 cups Yukon Gold Potatoes, *scrubbed & medium diced

3 cups chicken broth

6 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat a medium-sized soup pot. Add olive oil, butter, onion, leek, and garlic. Cook for two minutes until the onions are translucent. Add nutmeg, chicken broth, and two tablespoons of chives. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower it to a simmer, cooking for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Puree half of the soup mixture, leaving the remaining chunky bits of potatoes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a drizzle of cream, cheddar cheese, and the remaining fresh chives.

*Good to Know: Wash potatoes and leave skins on to preserve the nutrients in the flesh of the potato. It is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, and dietary fiber.

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Potato Leek Soup

George Hirsch March 15, 2024

The University of Illinois published a study on matching personalities with soup preferences a few years back in the Journal of Database Marketing Lifestyle and Personality Clusters. The four most popular soups were chicken noodle, tomato, minestrone, and vegetable. These four top soups were cross-tabulated with personality and lifestyle traits. What's your soup say about you?

*A simple staple like a potato can make for a very hearty and satisfying soup.*

Potato Leek Soup

Makes eight servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | From George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

1 leek, whites only, washed and chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 cups Yukon Gold Potatoes, *scrubbed & medium diced

3 cups chicken broth

6 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Preheat a medium-sized soup pot. Add olive oil, butter, onion, leek, and garlic. Cook for two minutes until the onions are translucent. Add nutmeg, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons of chives. Bring soup to a boil, then lower it to simmer, cooking for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Puree half of the soup mixture, leaving the remaining chunky bits of potatoes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a drizzle of cream, cheddar cheese, and the remaining fresh chives.

*Good to Know: Wash potatoes and leave skins on to preserve the nutrients in the potato's flesh—a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, and dietary fiber.

Tip: Cut any additions into small or a maximum of one-half to one-inch pieces. Why so small? Simply, it fits on a soup spoon.

Severing Suggestion: Serve soup as a starter for Corned Beef & Cabbage

Chef George Hirsch's Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe — **CLICK FOR CORNED BEEF and CABBAGE RECIPE + TIPS**

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Cinco de Mayo with George's Posole

George Hirsch May 2, 2023

This week Cinco de Mayo will be celebrated worldwide, honoring Mexican heritage and marking the defeat of the French Army after invading the Americas. But believe it or not, this commemorative holiday is celebrated by more people in California than in Mexico. And many festive ways are used to mark the occasion beyond cervesa and tequila. Dances and music keep the occasion to preserve & educate the public about its historical significance and culture.

A traditional Mexican dish from the Pacific coast region of Jalisco, Posole is a thick soup made with hominy–dried corn with the hull and germ removed. It makes any large gathering a fiesta!

George's Posole

Makes 8 servings

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2 pounds of pork shoulder chops

1/2 cup Posole Pork Rub

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet onion, sliced thick, grilled, and chopped

4 jalapenos, roasted on the grill; split, seeded, and chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups hot chicken broth

4 cups canned hominy, drained and rinsed

1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 fresh red radishes, sliced thin

1 cup fresh cabbage, finely shredded

Rub pork on all sides with Posole Pork Rub, and refrigerate for at least two to 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat a large soup pot to high heat.

Brush chops with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add chops and sear pork on both sides until browned and not fully cooked. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the hot broth, jalapenos, and hominy and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chops, cool, and chop meat into small pieces. Put the pork back into the soup. Continue cooking for 30 additional minutes. The longer and slower the soup simmers, the better.

Stir in cilantro and serve bowls of soup topped with sliced radish, shredded cabbage, and warm corn tortillas.

Posole Pork Rub

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon each: ground cumin, black pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, chili powder, thyme

1/2 teaspoon each: nutmeg, allspice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a tightly sealed container.