成人快手

by Paul Merrett

French onion soup is very easy to make and is deeply savoury and hearty - and cheesy cro没tons make it extra special!

Each serving provides 548 kcal, 26g protein, 54g carbohydrate (of which 20g sugars), 20g fat (of which 12g saturates), 9.5g fibre and 2.4g salt.

Main course

Buyer's guide

Onions are available all year. Main crop British onions are available fresh from the fields in August and September, and from cold storage until the following July.

Choose onions that are firm and regular in shape, with tight, dry, papery skins. Avoid any with shrivelled skins or any that feel soft around the neck or are sprouting green shoots. If possible, select individual bulbs when shopping, rather than buying them ready-packed.

Storage

Onions store well, especially if kept in a cool, airy larder or shed. Ideally they should be tied on a string or raffia rope and hung somewhere cool and dry. Otherwise, store them in a paper bag in a vegetable rack for up to ten days. Keeping them in the fridge will cause them to soften.

Peel and chop onions before freezing them in convenient portion sizes. They will be a little mushy when defrosted because of their water content, but can be cooked from frozen in soups, stews and casseroles.

Preparation

Onions can be used as flavouring or as a vegetable in their own right. They can be fried, boiled, roasted, grated and saut茅ed, or used as a classic ingredient in dishes such as onion soup, onion tart, onion marmalade and Spanish tortilla.