The Onion! No, not that one.

So I was hanging with my good friend, Lillian DeVane (sassy comedian and cartoonist) and we needed SOMETHING to go with the fancy-shmancy bread she bought (a yummy, wheaty, sourdough boule from Whole Paycheck...err...Foods...).

Luckily, I had four onions, some garlic, and stock, which is pretty much all you need for the basic Onion soup.

So we munched on bread and took:

4 lrg onions, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic
5 cups of veggie stock
Brandy (or cognac or whatever you have in your cupboard that is pretty strong)
Smoked Gruyere (worth it to pay more for the good stuff in my opinion)

AND Eyeballing it:
EVOO
1/2 cupped palmful of french thyme (Penzey's)
1 bay leaf (they are MAGIC!)
Sea salt (to taste)
2 cupped palmfuls of dried parsley

Freshly ground Black, Green, White, and Red Peppercorns

And we made FUN ONION SOUP (you can do it! so easy! so tasty! not snobby at all!)

1) Heat FOUR good swigs of EVOO in a stockpot and when it's HOT cook the onions until they are starting to brown and are super-soft. (This takes a good half hour. Chat with a friend while it's doing it's thang).

2) Add all the spices you eyeballed, along with the garlic (the recipe I followed said to put the whole head in there, cut down the middle but the thought of fishing out garlic skins made me wary so I simply chopped a whole bunch and put it in with the spices. I LOVE garlic so you should add/subtract the amount according to your taste). Cook for a few minutes (until you really start smelling all the lovely parts simmering together).

3) Add the stock and the brandy (it really does make a difference for flavor, adding a complexity and robustness) and bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Viola! Your soup is DONE!

Wait! I almost forgot the most important ingredient: the cheese!

Sprinkle the smoked gruyere over the top and stick some hunks of bread in the bowl for instant croutons.

And it's good for a cold!

After you're done with your soup and feeling spritely, go see Lillian do her standup. She is hilarious!

Rating: Oh-yeah.

Easy-o-meter: Wicked, wicked easy.

Time: 40 minutes, tops.

Taste: Savory and succulent