Tuscan Onion Soup (Carabaccia)

I've wanted to make carabaccia ever since I found out it was the ancient ancestor of French onion soup. They say that when made with vegetable broth, it was the favorite soup of vegetarian Leonardo da Vinci. Now you can add these interesting facts to your dinner party conversation repertoire. As for the cinnamon, the safe play is to not add any and live happily ever after. But in tiny amounts it lends a mysterious, warming background note.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 308 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste, divided
• Ground cinnamon
• 4 pounds red onions
• 3 leaves sage
• ¼ cup finely ground almonds (Optional)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
• 5 cups beef broth, or more as needed
• 3 thick slices Italian bread, halved
• 3 leaves sage, or to taste, sliced into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Trim ends off onions; halve and peel. Cut onions into thin slices lengthwise along the grain.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and kosher salt. Cook and stir until starting to turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and sweet, about 1 hour.

Step 3

Add sage leaves, pepper, cinnamon, and almonds to the onions. Cook and stir until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a soup pot. Pour in red wine vinegar and broth. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Step 5

Place Italian bread on the baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over the bread; sprinkle sliced sage and some Parmesan cheese on top.

Step 6

Toast in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

Step 7

Ladle soup into serving bowls and top each with a piece of toast. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the toast and sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top. Dunk toast into the soup and let soak for a few minutes before serving.