The Federal Way Farmers Market recently kicked off its 2021 season.

Visit the market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday through October in The Commons mall parking lot along S. 324th Street in Federal Way and pick up locally-sourced ingredients needed for the meal below.

French onion soup with toasted cheesy bread strips (4 servings)

By Vickie Chynoweth

Ingredients:

1 pound Sweet Onion thinly sliced (Bautista

Farms)

1/2 cup unsalted butter divided

1/4 cup Sherry (optional)

2 tablespoon Arrowroot (1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch)

2 cans 14.5 ounce low sodium chicken broth

1 pound sweet potato cut in half-inch cubes

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1/4 cup grated parmigiana

4-6 ounces Jarlsberg cheese cut into 4 thick slices

4 slices Nuts & Grain bread

½ – ¾ teaspoon sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Using a mandoline slicer on thin setting, or thinly slice 1 pound Bautista Farms Sweet Onions.

2. In a heavy saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of unsalted butter and add sliced onion. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes until onion is soft a translucent, stirring often.

3. Add 1/4 cup of Sherry (optional) and arrowroot, stirring for 2 minutes to make a roux.

4. Add low sodium chicken broth and stir until the roux is mixed in thoroughly.

5. Add cubed sweet potato, fresh rosemary sprig, sea salt and pepper.

6. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until sweet potato is tender. Remove rosemary sprig before placing in bowls.

7. While soup is cooking, cut off crust of bread and cut each slice of bread into four strips.

8. Melt remaining 1/4 cup of butter and pour into glass 9×13 baking pan.

9. Place bread strips in a single layer in baking pan with melted butter. Turn all bread strips once so that they are buttered on both sides.

10. Sprinkle 1/2 of parmigiana evenly over bread strips. Place oven on broil 1-2 minutes until bread is evenly toasted. Pull out of oven turn bread strips over and sprinkle remaining parmigiana evenly over bread and broil 1-2 minutes until bread is evenly toasted. Place on a serving dish.

11. Have 4 oven proof bowls and fill 2/3 full with French onion soup. Take 2 strips of cheese bread and place in the center of each bowl of soup. Place one thick slice of Jarlsberg cheese on bread in each bowl.

12. Place bowls of soup with cheese on a baking sheet. Place in oven on broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is soft and bubbly.

13. Serve remainder of cheesy bread strips with soup. Bon Appetit!