Sophie'S Festive Onion, Apple & Apple Cider Soup

• 5 cups onions white, peeled & sliced, weighed when peeled & sliced
• 2 leeks mediums, well washed, cleaned & finely sliced
• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, cut into small chunks
• 2 potatoes mediums, peeled and finely cut up
• 5/8 cup brut cider
• 4 2/3 cups vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves dried
• 4 fresh thyme long sprigs of, washed and patted dry on kitchen paper
• 5 3/8 tablespoons margarine baking
• 1 13/16 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• 10 fresh chives long, sprigs, washed, cleaned & pad dry on kitchen paper

1. Take a large & wide cooking pot & heat up on a medium high heat. Add baking margarine or more.
2. When the butter has melted & sizzles, add the sliced onions, leeks & apples. Fry for about 15 minutes , with the lid on, stirring frequently until they all have softened.
3. Add the potatoes & the cider. Stir frequently. Bring to the boil & cook for 2 to 5 minutes until the volume from the cider has reduced a bit.
4. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves & thyme sprigs. Reduce the heat to simmer point & place the lid on the pot. Simmer the soup for another 25 to 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked through.
5. Remove the 3 bay leaves & lift out the 4 thyme sprigs.
6. Liquidise the soup until you have it to your liking. I pureed mine all the way.
7. Just before serving: laddle your soup into festive soup bowls. Take about a handful of the grated Gruyere cheese & lay it in the middle of the soup. With the help of scissors, snip the chives into little pieces & scatter around the grated cheese.

onions white, leeks, apples, potatoes, brut cider, vegetable stock, bay leaves dried, thyme, margarine baking, gruyuere cheese, chives

Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/Sophie_s-Festive-Onion_-Apple-_-Apple-Cider-Soup-1673330 (may not work)