from the New England Soup Factory Cookbook
courtesy of Fellow Foodie Marilyn Neely
Caramelized Onions:
2 TAB Salted Butter
2 LARGE Spanish onions, thinly sliced
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Soup:
4 TAB Salted Butter
3 Whole cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
2 cups of sliced Spanish onions
2 cups sliced carrots
¼ cup diced celery
8 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
10 cups chicken stock
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 TAB Worcestershire sauce
2 cups light cream
½ cup sweet sherry wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ cups of caramelized onions
****FOR CARAMELIZED ONIONS
In a large sauté’ pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute’ for 18 minutes. Add the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Saute’ an additional 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until the vinegar starts to evaporate and the onions look thick and syrupy, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool. These may be done ahead of time and stored in a tightly covered container.
****SOUP
In a large stockpot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery. Saute’ for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and saute’ 5 minutes more. Pour the stock over the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Add the brown sugar, Worcestshire sauce, light cream, sherry salt, and pepper. Puree again until well combined.
To serve:
Heat the onions and spoon on top of soup.
The original recipe called for nutmeg which I omitted as it is my least favorite spice and also gave the soup a totally different taste. The above recipe was served with much applause.
Enjoy!
