Soups On!

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Soup

October = Soup!  By this time of the year I'm tired of grilled food and look forward to soups and some good braising recipes!  Williams Sonoma has a terrific "Sunday Soup" Recipe book... this is one of my favorites and I'm ready to make it soon! 

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. Marsala wine
1 3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
7 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 country-style loaf, crusts removed, bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
Directions:
In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup Marsala and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and the liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes. Add the bay leaf and stock, increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Add 1 Tbs. of the parsley, the lemon juice and the 1 Tbs. Marsala and stir to combine.
Preheat a broiler.
Place 6 ovenproof soup bowls on a baking sheet and ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each bowl. Top each with 4 or 5 bread cubes and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tsp. parsley and serve immediately. Serves 6.