Pressure Canned French Onion Soup

Onions from last fall's harvest sprouting? Great deal on onions at the store? Make this soup. Pressure can if you desire, but also just great as a weekend meal. Serve topped with crusty bread and melted cheese! This soup is also a great starter for adding to OTHER soups and stews.

Pressure Canned French Onion Soup
Adapted from the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, page 290

¼ cup olive oil (I used a mix of clarified butter and olive oil)
4 lbs. onions, thinly sliced (my weight was AFTER peeling)
1 tbsp canning/pickling salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)
3 quarts beef broth chicken stock or vegetable stock (I used a mix of home canned beef broth and beef better then bouillon)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions, salt and pepper. Cover and cook 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are caramel colored and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in wine and herbs. Turn heat up and simmer 10 minutes or until wine has reduced to almost dry. Stir in broth and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Wipe rims well. Apply new lids and bands.

For under 1,000 ft in elevation, can pints 60 minutes, quarts 75 minutes, following your pressure canner directions. Once pressure has returned to zero, let jars sit in canner with the lid off for 5 minutes before removing them from the canner to cool.