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No, Vegetarians! – You will not take my French Onion Soup!

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I have been accommodating my pseudo-husband’s vegetarian lifestyle for the better part of 13 years. It hasn’t always been a pleasure, but I do it because it is the right thing to do. Just like he doesn’t blink an eye or give me grief if I want to devour a steak.

Many a risotto has been adjusted. I have substituted my fair share of fish (he became a pescetarian 5 years ago) for chicken in a recipe, without complaint. Family and friends always shift plans to include a ’special’ dish just for him. My mother spends time doting on him like he is starving and undernourished.

But some things have gotta give.

Perfection should not be messed with. There are some recipes that just won’t carry over well if deviated from.

And French Onion Soup happens to be one of them.

Last week, I found the holy grail of French Onion Soup recipes. And being the dutiful, accommodating psuedo-wife that I am, my brain immediately went to work – converting the recipe to something HE could enjoy as well. After all, who wants to go to the trouble of making an entire batch of French Onion Soup just to eat it alone?

And as I slaved over the stove, gaining layer after layer of flavor – caramelizing, stirring, deglazing the pot 2, 5, 50 times- as soon as I added the vegetable stock, I just knew it was all over.

That soup would never live up to what it was meant to be. What it should be. And all because that veggie stock is just too weak. It doesn’t have the deep, hearty flavor that French Onion Soup begs for.

So, next time I’m not budging. It is my right after all, as a carnivore. I don’t suggest you add beef broth to your tofu cubes, do I? No, of course not. So, don’t expect me to vegetarianize my French Onion Soup.

And while I realize that I did this completely to myself because I was being thoughtful, next time thoughtful takes a back seat to authentic and delicious! In fact, thoughtful won’t even make it in the car next time we are driving to the land of French Onion Soupness.

Rant over.

So, while we certainly ate the soup and it was better than I expected, it just wasn’t up to my standards of a proper French Onion Soup.

But I think it’s fair to say Chris enjoyed it immensely. Probably because he knew it would be his one and only opportunity. At least in this house.

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The recipe I used can be found at Cookography. For the best flavor, I prepared the soup and followed the recommendation of refrigerating for a day or two before reheating and serving. It really did impact the flavor.

What are you favorite recipes that will remain unaltered for vegetarians?

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Paulita
December 14th, 2009
That was very generous of you. I’m not sure what I would do if someone in my family developed necessary or requested dietary habits. Lately I’ve been so busy that they are lucky to get a main course, much less the side dishes. I just send them to the stove for a grilled cheese or a bowl of cereal.
Paulita´s last blog ..It’s the Most Wonderful Time…

Robin @ My Melange
December 14th, 2009
I love your answer Paulita. Honestly, sometimes you just have to do what you can. As long as your crew isn’t starving, that’s good enough!

Milanese Masala
December 14th, 2009
Loved this post! It was especially timely as today there was a bit of omnivore vs. vegetarian tension in the office. I’m the omnivore, btw.

Well, I guess one of my staples would be a veg frittata, with anything that’s seasonal, from turnip tops to zucchini. Oh, I also make a mean chick pea curry!
Milanese Masala´s last blog ..Hard Act to Follow?

Robin @ My Melange
December 14th, 2009
Hi Linda! Good timing for sure! And both of those sound delish

Caitlin
December 14th, 2009
Hilarious! My husband is vegetarian too, so I know exactly where you’re coming from. To give him credit, he doesn’t demand I cook for him or mind if I cook meat for myself. And I do like vegetarian food so it’s all good.
Caitlin´s last blog ..Recipe Road Test: Ptolemy Mann’s rose-geranium cake

Caitlin
December 14th, 2009
I’m digging the new blog design by the way – it’s gorgeous!

Robin @ My Melange
December 14th, 2009
Oh, mine is not demanding either. I think we are both in the same good boat We are two lucky ladies! And thanks for the kind words about the site design. It feels like home…finally.

Angela K. Nickerson
December 14th, 2009
My sister-in-law and her husband are vegetarians, and we are a very carnivorous household, so when they come to visit, I have to get rather creative. But I can’t imagine a vegetarian French Onion Soup being more than ok. It’s all about that broth! You are a very good pseudo-wife!
Angela K. Nickerson´s last blog ..On the Radio with Rick Steves

Robin @ My Melange
December 14th, 2009
Lord knows I try to be But, I am sticking to my guns on this one!

Joe O'Bobson
December 26th, 2009
I think you put too much bias in your soup. I’ve made a lot of both beef-based and vegetarian french onion soup; French onion was a personal favorite that I worried about ever having again when my wife and I went vegetarian.

You hit the nail on the head though, it is all about the broth, and you probably didn’t use good enough vegetable stock. I think you’d agree your own beef broth is better than what you can get in stores, and if you were going the storebought route you’d likely have a tested favorite to rely on. Of course the same holds true if it’s vegetable broth. Some come off kinda chicken-ish and those are flatly all wrong for this. Not-Beef Broth is workable, but doing it yourself is really the way to go. You can target those savory flavors that way. Make him do it, in a large batch and can them in pints so you don’t gotta muck with it every time you want soup.

You can also reserve a serving of carmelized onions from your batch in a mini-crockpot or sauce pot for the vegetarian, so you don’t “ruin” your soup, and it’s not really adding much work. My wife has medically-mandated dietary restrictions beyond just meat, so I’ve gotten used to “forking development” are nerds would say: pick a point at which the intolerated ingredient must be added and split the prep into separate containers at that point, thereby avoiding contamination without doubling the prep.

If you think accommodating vegetarians is irksome, be thankful your husband can still eat gluten. I was a baker, and my wife can’t have wheat.