A warm Wilmington Irish onion soup

Irish Onion Soup

The French of Wilmington have nothing on the Irish when it comes to onion soup! A flavor of the Irish in Wilmington during the cold of January and February, this warm and hearty onion soup has a flavor all its own. The soup is made with Irish stout giving it a rich color and a unique malty flavor. Topped with Gruyere Cheese or keep it Irish with a Kerrygold Irish cheese.

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 large yellow onions, sliced

2 large red onions, sliced

4 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

3 cups low sodium beef stock

1 cup of Irish stout (Guinness or Murphy’s)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup of cheese for topping

1. In a large saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, shallot and garlic. Cook for about 12 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the bay leaves, basil, thyme, sugar, stock and stout. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a low. Cover and simmer for about 25 mins. Season to taste.

2. Preheat the broiler. Arrange 8 crocks on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the crocks and sprinkle with cheese. Place under the broiler for about 1 minute to melt the cheese. Once the cheese starts to brown, remove from the oven. And serve immediately with crusty bread.