Cream of Onion Soup

Recipe No. 539 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Onions, thinly sliced — 10 pounds (10 No. 56 dippers)
• Water, boiling — 2 gallons (8 No. 56 dippers)
• Beef stock — 2¾ gallons (11 No. 56 dippers)
• Milk, evaporated — 8½ — 14½-ounce cans
• Salt — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Fat, melted — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Flour, sifted — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

1. Add onions to ½ gallon boiling water. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes.*
2. Prepare beef stock (recipe No. 519).
3. Combine beef stock, milk, remaining water, salt and pepper; add to onions.
4. Mix melted fat and flour; stir until smooth. Add slowly to hot soup; mix thoroughly. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until soup is slightly thick, stirring constantly.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Onions, thinly sliced — 12¾ oz Water, boiling — 2½ cups Beef stock — 3½ cups Milk, evaporated — ⅔ can(s) (14½ oz) Salt — about 1½ tsp Pepper — to taste Fat, melted — 1¼ oz Flour, sifted — 1¼ oz

Cooked onions may be rubbed through a sieve before combining with other ingredients.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 539, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.