The recipe

Put the oven on at 200C/gas mark 6. Peel 2 large banana shallots, 2 medium red onions and 2
yellow ones. Roughly chop them all and put them in a roasting tin with 5 tbsp of olive oil, the
needles from 3 bushy sprigs of rosemary, 2 bay leaves and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper.
Roast for about 45 minutes, moving them round the pan from time to time.

Let the onions roast until they are truly soft and deep gold in colour

When the onions are soft and tender, remove the bay leaves and set half the onions aside, then
put the other half into a blender with 600ml of vegetable stock, pour into a large saucepan and
bring to the boil. Stir in the reserved onions then bring to the boil and leave to simmer for
about 10 minutes. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Grate 150g of firm cheese – I used a farmhouse Cheshire – and mix it with 2 finely chopped
spring onions. Slice a small baguette in half horizontally and then into 4 pieces, pile the cheese
and onion on top and place under a hot overhead grill until the cheese melts.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve with the toasted cheese baguettes. Enough for 2-3.

The trick
Let the onions roast until they are truly soft and deep gold in colour. The exact timing will vary
according to the variety of onions. They must be soft enough to crush between finger and
thumb. To balance their sweetness, choose a good, sharply flavoured farmhouse cheese. Use a
homemade or good commercial vegetable stock.

The twist
Roasting imparts a particularly deep flavour to the onions, but you could cook them on the hob
if you prefer, stirring them regularly until they are soft and sweet. You could make the soup
more cosseting with the addition of cream, stirring a few tbsp in once the soup is being
reheated.

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