Serves 6-8 Ingredients: 6 large yellow onions (peeled, halved, chopped in tiny spoon size) 1 large leek; halved lengthwise; thoroughly washed; (white parts only, sliced) 1 tbsp All-Purpose flour 15 mls dry sherry + 15 mls port 8-10 cups homemade stock Slices of baguette bread Grated Gruyère cheese Salt (to taste) + pepper Olive oil + 50 gm butter Method: In a large wide cooking pot; add oil and butter; over medium heat; until butter melts. Add chopped onion. Stir to caramelise into golden colour and do not brown. Stir in stock; reserving a cupful aside. Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally to cook the onion. Stir in the sherry and port; halfway onion cooking time Continue stirring to cook. Stir the flour into reserved cup of stock; until no lumps appear. Gently pour slowly over cooking onion; while continuously whisking vigorously to blend in well. Bring back to the boil; stirring constantly; to complete a 40-minute cooking time. Add salt (to taste) and pepper. Pour into your soup bowls or crock pots. Add the bread over the soup. Top with a generous amount of grated Gruyére. Melt the cheese under the grill or microwave it; then serve as illustrated; spilling melted cheese down the edge .. ENJOY !!! *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 February , 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
