French Vegetable Soup

First of all, prepare your vegetables by getting a large chopping board along with a sharp knife and slice the onion and red onion. Also dice the garlic and the basil together on a separate board or plate. Fill your kettle with a litre of water and boil, pouring the water into a measuring jug with the 2 vegetable stock cubes.

Take out a large sauce pan and put it on a high heat. As the pan is warming, place a knob of butter in the centre of the pan and wait for it to melt. Add the sliced onion and red onion. Stir and cook until they start to brown on the edges and get soft.

Turn the pan down to a lower setting, sprinkle a light layer of sugar over the top of the onions and spread the onions evenly over the base of the pan. Leave on a low heat for 30 minutes. While your onions are simmering, prepare the rest of the vege by cutting the shallots into quarters and dicing the broccoli into very small pieces. Also, peel and chop your potatoes into small chunks.

Keep checking the onions until a black film has formed at the base of the pan. Add the garlic and basil and cook until you can smell the lovely aroma of garlic and basil (normally around one minute).

Pour the stock into the sauce pan and add the shallots, potatoes and broccoli. Add a splash a red wine and season lightly. Turn up the hob to a higher heat and put a lid over the sauce pan. Leave to cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally (I find, if you have the time, cooking it for longer makes it tastier). Finally, after 40 minutes, mashing the potatoes up with the ladle can make the soup thicker, if you feel its too thick add a splash more water. Season to taste and serve.