Italian Recipe - Tuscany Onion Soup

This great italian recipe is a slight variation of the French counterpart, French Onion Soup. This Tuscany Onion Soup is a great italian recipe for any evening, and should be enjoyed casually with a crisp white wine.

Ingredients

2 oz Pancetta ham, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

4 large white onions, sliced thinly in rings (Spanish onions may be substituted)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cups hot chicken or ham stock

4 slices of ciabatta or other Italian bread

3 tbsp butter

3 oz of Gruyere or Cheddar

Salt and Pepper

Italian Cooking

1. Dry fry the pancetta in a large saucepan until it begins to brown (3-4 min)
2. Remove the pancetta and set aside
3. Add the olive oil to the pan and cook the onions and garlic over high heat for 4 minutes.
4. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes until lightly caramelized.
5. Add the stock to the saucepan, bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce heat, and let simmer for 10 min.
6. Toast the slices of ciabatta on both sides, butter, and top with Gruyere or cheddar.
7. Cut the bread into bite size pieces
8. Add the pancetta to the saucepan, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Pour into 4 soup bowls. Top with the toasted bread pieces.

To add to the flavor of this great italian recipe, you can add a little extra cheese to the top of the soup bowls. This hearty soup is great for almost any occasion. Tuscany Onion Soup makes for a great appetizer to almost any dish as well. Its easy to make, and your whole family will love it!