GOLDEN COMFORT SOUP
"All the leaves are gone, and the sky is grey . . . "
Time for Comfort Soup and it's coming my way!
INGREDIENTS
About 8 medium-size smooth skinned potatoes such as Yukon Gold, diced into 3/4 inch cubes.
4 large onions
About 3 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
4-6 cups vegetable broth - I like mine with some saltiness to it, but whatever you prefer
1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan spread
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 c flour
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Thinly slice your peeled onions. If you have a food processor, it will do this nicely for you.
Using a large soup kettle, place onions in melted 1/2 cup of Earth Balance.
Turn heat to simmer, place cover over onions, and cook, covered, for about seven minutes.
Your pot will be FULL of onions, and you will be thinking, "WTF?"
But the onions will reduce by over half their bulk when the cooking process for them is completed.
Remove cover, raise heat to medium-low, and sprinkle the sugar over onions.
The goal now is to cook onions for a long period of time, stirring occasionally, until they begin to get a golden color. This can take up to a half hour.
Once onions are beginning to to color, add about 5 cups of a good vegetable stock. Then, add chopped potatoes and corn kernels.
You want a thick soup. Add more vegetable stock if necessary.
Cook, covered, over a simmer, for about 20 minutes.
Once potatoes are just about tender, take about a half cup of the broth and place in a little bowl. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Stir this into your soup. It will thicken it just a little bit. Cook, stirring, at a simmer, for a minute or two.
Add red pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. A little bit, though, adds a nice warmth to the dish. Add salt to taste.
Cover soup and serve the next day, garnished with fried shallots, if you like.
FRIED SHALLOTS
These little cuties are so good! Really crisp, like mini onion rings as soon as they are fried. They will keep, once drained, in a covered plastic container for a week or two. They won't stay as crispy, but they will stay cute and tasty!
Take a few shallots. Peel, and slice very thinly. Place these slices in enough hot oil to almost cover. "Deep fry" on medium heat until they start to get brown. You want them as brown as you can get them without burning them. Make sure you remove from the oil just a bit before they are where you want them, as they will continue to cook a bit once removed from oil.
Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towns to drain.
Enjoy!
