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I’m on an economy drive. I know it isn’t January yet, none the less, I’m going to pinch those pennies.
Why? It’s simple – I had a massage. A full body massage, with oils and real ambient music and hot towels, and now I want another one, and another, and another. I think it is essential to my emotional and physical wellbeing. So, Leon and Wasabi lunches, I have you in my sight.
The plan is that every time I take homemade lunch to work I can put £5 in the massage kitty, once it hits £50, bingo! Ultimate relaxation.
It’s a double winner because everyone knows that home made lunch is best – best for the tastebuds, best for your body, best for the planet.
And then I was watching an old Jamie at home where he makes Jamie’s English onion soup, just onions, stock and a bit of bread and cheese. Ding! Do you see where I’m going with this… That’s right, cheap tasty lunchtime soup.
Here is my version, slightly adapted from his (I found the onions need longer than his 50 minutes). Takes a while to make so cook it on a slow afternoon when you can just let it simmer away till it’s ready then you’ll have enough for at least 5 lunches. You can always freeze it in portions if you don’t fancy a week of onion soup!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
2 medium brown onions
2 medium red onions
1 enormous brown onion (the kind you get in Turkish shops, or substitute for 2/3 brown ones)
1 leek
5 cloves garlic
50g butter
big slosh olive oil
3 big pinches sage
2 L stock (chicken, beef or veg, as you wish)
S&P
Slightly stale bread for toasting
Cheddar for grating
1 Chop the onions and leeks (be warned this will make you cry, but it does clear the sinuses), peel and flatten the garlic
2 Melt the butter then add oil, veg, sage and S&P (lots of P)
3 Fry gently, covered, for 50-60 minutes – then uncovered for a further 15-20
4 Add the stock and simmer gently for 15 mins, uncovered
5 Toast the bread, ladle the soup into a bowl, lay toast on top and grate some cheese over it - grind a bit more pepper on top too
6 Pop it under the grill until cheese bubbles, enjoy.
Obviously when I take it to work I won’t be able to finish it off like this, but I reckon if I take some grated cheese and pepper to add to the soup before microwaving and heat up a pita in the oven with the soup, it won’t be half bad.
Oh, I’m such a huge fan of a good onion soup, and this looks easy and delicious!
Great recipe!
Oh yes, was still delicious on day 2. Hope you enjoy it too!
How did the pita go? One of the two main reasons I am dubious about bringing food into work (the other being that I get hungry thinking about the tasty food I have prepared and eat it by 11am) is that you have to compromise on presentation.
Don’t know if this is a universal term, but where I come from we call bringing your own food to work “brown-bagging” which I think is a nice way of putting it.
Hi Robin,
The pita worked really well, not quite toast but an adequate substitute. I find the trick to making these things work are accessories (as in much of life). So at work I have a proper china bowl, side plate and real metal spoon - I just use the plastic to heat it up in the microwave.
The 11am thing is a real issue, I can only overcome it with snacks in my desk drawer and a compassion for my co-workers, although this only goes for hot food (the smell), salads often get munched early!
Brown bagging is a cute phrase, but isn’t that what you also do with alcohol?