French Onion Soup, an Ode to the Unsung Onion

Left raw and bracing, or long-cooked into rich, complex sweetness, onions play a fundamental role in the kitchen

French onion soup. Shutterstock

“Put chile and some water into a saucepan with bullion, garlic which is diced, and salt and pepper and onion which I don’t have and won’t mention anymore because I miss it, and you shouldn’t ever be anyplace without it, I don’t care where.”

—Simon Ortiz, “How to Cook a Good Chili,” Woven Stone