Caramelized Onion Soup With Swiss Cheese & Basil Croutons - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Soup
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dry red wine
8 cups water
3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules (or to taste)
Croutons
1 cup swiss cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 sourdough baguette, sliced on the bias

Preparation

Saute onions and garlic in oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat until soft and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Add black pepper and thyme to onions. Cook 1 minute. Then add red wine, cook about 1 minute while stirring and scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add water and bouillon to pot. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. (Double check to see if it needs any salt and pepper added to taste).
In a bowl, combine cheese, basil, pepper and mayo. Spread over one side of each bread slice.
Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each soup bowl with bread, cheese side up, making sure to cover entire soup surface with a layer of bread. (My soup mugs are quite large, so I use 2-3 baguette slices per serving).
Broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese begins to melt and brown a bit.