For some unknown reason I’ve been hoarding soup recipes all year. I’ve been slow to post recipes anyway, but the number of soups I’ve made or have on my To Cook wishlist just calls out for a week of posts on the subject. So that’s what I’m going to do. Post a soup recipe every day this week. Some will be stews, some I made so long ago I’ll need to track down the recipe. But all will be delicious.

I debated saving this one for last because it just stands head and shoulders above the others. It’s a Geoffrey Zakarian recipe from Food Network Magazine, and it is worth every second of prep time. Which really isn’t that bad since there’s a lot of slow cooking here. The soup itself, without cheese and bread, froze well enough that we were able to have this for dinner a couple of times when I made it back in the spring. It will be back on the dinner table very, very soon.

French Onion Soup with Braised Short Ribs (original here)

2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
6 cups low-sodium beef stock
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Spanish onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
12 slices sourdough bread, toasted
12 slices high-quality gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)
Chopped fresh chives, for topping

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