Recipes

1. Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add wine; simmer until wine evaporates, about 4 minutes. If any fond has developed on the bottom of the pan, scrape it up now. Add tomato paste and saute 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2. Transfer 1 cup onion mixture to blender. Add 1 cup chicken broth and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot.

3. Add remaining 3 cups broth, chopped prosciutto and thyme. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavor.

4. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Place four prosciutto slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each with 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles and prosciutto is crispy, about 1 minute. Cut each slice into pieces.

5. Ladle soup into warm bowls and top each serving with prosciutto pieces.

NOTE: I used tomato paste, but the original recipe calls for 1 tomato, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup). Everything else is the same. I like tomato paste because it gives the dish a rich, ruddy hue.

If you want to try different a different herb, sage would be great. Rosemary would be nice too - just put a sprig in during the simmer and remove it just before serving. I'd suggest that you don't mix herbs here - it's such a simple dish that you want just one herbal note to shine through. Mixing herbs will muddy the taste here, I think.

Using prosciutto to replace the toast is pure genius, I think. But then anything with prosciutto in it is genius.