How can March be flying by so quickly? We’re now into the third week of my short story about when Alex Mitchell (one of the heroes in my romantic suspense Deadly Force series) challenged the other men in the series to a Guinness Cooking Challenge. This means that Alex has set up a cooking contest where the main ingredient is Guinness Beer. And today’s entrant is Detective Jorge Garza and his Guinness French Onion Soup.
Detective Garza ~ “I don’t have an Irish bone in my body. My mother’s family is from Puerto Rico and my father’s family came from Mexico and somehow both families ended up in Trenton, NJ. (I’m still not sure how that happened.) Still, on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is a wee bit Irish. Especially when the boss (Kells Torridan) of my best friends (Nate and Pete) is from South Boston. So when Alex set up this cooking challenge using Guinness as one of the main ingredients, I jumped in. It just so happens that my mother used to make this Guinness French Onion Soup, along with Irish Soda Bread, every St. Patrick’s Day. We’d go to morning mass, then paint our faces green and stand in the parade (Trenton, NJ used to have a HUGE parade), and then go home to feast on bread, soup, and beer (for the adults, of course).
So this year, I’m planning the same type of event. I chose my dinner day to coincide with the St. Patrick’s Day parade here in Savannah. Which, in case you weren’t aware, is the still the second largest Irish parade in the country, after New York City. (I know. I was shocked too.) The plan is to go with all the men from Iron Rack’s Gym, with their wives and girlfriends, to the parade. Afterwards, we’ll go back to the patio behind the gym and eat soup and Irish Soda Bread which I bought from a nearby bakery.
My biggest issue is that I have to use the Iron Rack’s upstairs closet kitchen. While the single burner is fine, I need to do a finishing broil on the croutons and cheese and all I have is an old, refurbished toaster oven. That means that I’ll need help broiling two at a time and then serving them immediately. At least I can make the soup before we go to the parade, and finish it when we return. Now it’s time to get started. Luckily Samantha Barclay, Pete’s girlfriend, is in the kitchen secretly helping me.
“You can’t tell Pete about this,” Samantha says as she helps me chop piles of onions.
“I promise.” I glance at her with her curly blond hair piled on her head. Today she’s wearing jeans and green blouse, quite different from the Goth clothing she prefers. “Except you will probably smell like onions and garlic.”
“I forgot about that.” She wrinkles her nose and dumps the onions into the pot with the sizzling butter. “Tell me again about St. Patrick’s Day in New Jersey.”
I lower the heat and begin to sauté the onions. “It was fun. All of the kids looked forward to it all year long. If it occurred on a school day, we even had the day off. We’d start the morning with a warm Irish Soda Bread loaded with butter and jam.”
She takes over the stirring so I can begin cubing the bread. “I love Irish Soda Bread. My granny used to make it.”
“I love it too. My mom made it because it was easy and cheap.” I check the onions to make sure they’re not burning. “Anyway, after breakfast we’d head for the parade route and pick our places. People dressed as leprechauns would start handing out candy to the kids, and somehow the adults were able to drink beer–Guinness if they could get it–in public. I’m still not sure why that was allowed.”
She laughs and tossed the garlic into the pot. “Maybe because all of the police were marching in the parade.”
“Probably. The parade would take hours and the kids, including myself, would run up and down the parade route, hoping to find chocolate coins. Then, after the parade, we’d go home and my mom would finish this soup. We’d eat it while watching the movie “The Quiet Man”. I know it sounds like a simple day, but it was just always so much fun.”
“I love that movie,” Samantha says as she turns down the heat so the garlic doesn’t scorch. “Although I often wonder if it could be made today.”
I laugh because I’ve wondered the same thing.
“Hey.” Alex pauses in the kitchen door and pauses. “What is Samantha doing here?”
She holds up a spoon. “I’m helping.”
Alex tilts his head and focuses his deep violet gaze on me. “Brother, you do know it’s against the rules to ask for help.”
“She offered,” I say. “I didn’t ask.”
“Still…” Alex runs a hand over his head and mutters a curse. “Fine. Just don’t let anyone know. The men are still annoyed that you won the contest last year. If they find out about this,” he motions to Samantha who just smiles, “they’ll think the contest is rigged.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Samantha kisses him on the cheek, and I swear the brother blushes. “I won’t say a word.”
“Whatever.” Alex turns to leave, and then pauses. “What time are we leaving for the parade?”
“In an hour,” I say.
“And I know the perfect viewing spot,” Samantha adds.
“Well,” Alex says as he leaves, “I hope it’s not a lame parade. Because it certainly can’t be like Boston’s.”
I chuckle. I forgot that Alex was also from South Boston. “What do you think, Samantha? Will Alex think it’s a lame parade?”
She smiles at me and puts the lid on the soup. “I think he’s going to love it. And that means, this year, you just might win.”
I nod and begin shredding the cheese. “Actually, I know I’m going to win.”
“How do you know that? Nate is the judge and he’s impossible to bribe.”
“He may be impossible to bribe, but he owes me.” I wink at her. “Once upon a time, I didn’t arrest him and then I saved his life. And I’m going to make sure he remembers it. Once I do that, I’m assured to win.”
Guinness French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pounds onions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups Guinness beer
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper= to taste
- 6 slices baguette 1/2 inch thick and day old & toasted
- 1 cup white cheddar shredded
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons salted butter and the olive oil together over medium heat. Once the oil and butter are melted, add the onions, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Make sure the onions are completely cooked and caramelized. They should be gold brown.
You can add a dash of water or Guinness to deglaze the saucepan and prevent burning.
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Gently stir in the brown sugar and thyme. Mix for a minute and add the garlic. Cook for 1 more minute. Add another 2 Tablespoons salted butter and allow it to melt over low heat. Sprinkle the flour on top, stir gently and cook for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
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Slowly, over medium heat, stir in the Guinness and deglaze the pan. Stir in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, grainy mustard, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
Slowly bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
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While the soup reduces, place oven-proof bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. When the soup is ready, ladle the soup into the bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of bread and sprinkle with the white cheddar cheese.
Put the tray in the oven and broil until the soup melts. About 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
