Nothing is as delicious as eating fresh, local produce so whenever possible I stop at local farms and orchards to grab my ingredients. In the winter a great one stop shop is at our Kelowna Farmers’ & Crafters' Market open Saturdays starting January 7th, 2017. Several of the needed ingredients can be picked up there.

Recipe

Soup Ingredients

• 2 red onions
• 2 Spanish onions
• 2 cups of chopped scallions
• 5 shallots
• 3 table spoon of olive oil

Broth

• 1 pint Kettle River Brewing stout
• 2 cups of your choice of local Merlot
• 15 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1.5L chicken stock
• 10 Bay leaf
• 2 table spoons of dried rosemary
• ½ cup of white sugar

Topping

• 1 loaf Okanagan Grocery sourdough bread
• Armstrong swiss cheese

Directions

Combine all broth ingredient in a soup pot bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Strain and set broth aside.

Cut red onion, yellow onion, and shallots into slivers cutting with the grain. Chop green onions and add to heavy pot. Sautee on medium heat to avoid burning. Cook for 20 minutes or until nicely caramelized. Add broth and simmer for 20 minutes.

For the soup topping, cut a hearty slice of sourdough and brush with a bit of olive oil. Season with a pinch salt and pepper. Place in the oven at 325 and toast until crisp, about 7 minutes, to create a crostini. Place toasted crostini on top of soup and cover with a thick slice of Swiss cheese and place back in oven long enough to melt the cheese.

Handle with care and enjoy!

Chef Vince Van Wieringen is a red seal endorsed Chef, with creative culinary skills, extensive food and beverage experience and a passion for food. Vince’s menus focus on Farm to Table and seasonal dishes with ingredients that feature local farmers, orchards, meats, and sustainable BC seafood. He is Executive Chef at Hotel Eldorado and the current President of the Vernon and District Metis Association.