From Cooking Light Magazine, December 2004
Cooking spray
2 cups coarsely chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrot
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
4 cups less-sodium beef broth
4 cups water
3 parsley sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
7 cups sliced onion (about 3 large)
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dry red wine
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 (½-ounce) slices French bread baguette
¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
Thyme sprigs (optional)
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add celery, carrot, and mushrooms; saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; slowly stir in 1 cup wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth, water, parsley, and 2 thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 30 minutes. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids.
Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and salt; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in strained broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until onions are very tender. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons wine and pepper.
Preheat broiler.
Ladle about ¾ cup soup into each of 8 ovenproof bowls. Place bowls on a jelly-roll pan. Top each serving with 1 bread slice and 1½ tablespoons cheese. Broil 1 minute or until cheese begins to brown. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings