Extreme Budget, Day Thirteen - Soupreme Monday 7 Onion Soup

I make this soup once a month in the colder months. The Nudge just adores it. I'm not quite sure why and if you ask him he says the same thing...."I don't know why, I just do".
It is a simple soup to make, no one need have any special knife skills. A basic chop and drop soup.
Everything gets pureed in the end. Since onions are usually a good bargain, I am sure the tally will be a small one. The beauty of this dish is, any leftover bits of onions will not go to waste, I use onions in just about everything.
I like a fortified wine with slow cooked onions, so I added a tablespoon of Madeira just to kick it up a notch.

As many times as I make this soup I am always surprised at how easily I forget how good it really is for such simple ingredients. 

Seven Onion Soup
serves 4

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 3/4 cup sliced yellow onions
• 3/4 cup sliced red onions
• 3/4 cup sliced white onions
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots 
• 1 tablespoon Madeira or Marsala wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup sliced leeks, bottoms only, well rinsed in several changes of water
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions (white parts only)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons snipped chives, for garnish
• Shaved Parmesan, for garnish

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside for garnish.

To the fat remaining in the pan, add the yellow, red, and white onions, shallots, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme and cook, stirring, until very soft and starting to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the leeks and scallions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Dust flour over, and stir and cook until flour turns light golden. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream, stir well to incorporate, and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and pulse soup with an immersion blender. Return to the pot, stir to combine, and heat gently.
Divide the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with bacon, chives, and a little shaved Parmesan. Serve slices of the Parmesan-Garlic bread on the side and serve immediately.

Total for this meal: $3.44
Running total for 13 days: $40.78