Carabaccia (Sweet Onion Soup)

A Florentine soup, taken from The Art of Cookery, and posted for ZWT7

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 100  g  blanched almonds
• 150  ml white wine vinegar
•  cinnamon stick
• 1  kg onion, finely chopped
• 4  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  liter  stock
• 6  slices  bread
•  gruyre cheese
•  salt

Directions

1. Crush the almonds in a mortar and leave them to soak in the vinegar with the cinnamon stick for about one hour.
2. Gently fry the onions in the oil.
3. Add the almonds, sugar, salt and stock and cook for half an hour.
4. Toast the slices of bread, place a slice in each dish and pour over the onion soup.
5. You could garnish the soup by sprinkling grated Gruyère cheese over just before serving, or even return it to the oven for ten minutes, with the cheese on top.