Title: Beefy french onion soup
 Categories: Soups-, Onion
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
      6 tb Butter or margarine
      1 tb Salad oil
  3 1/2 lb Beef shank
      1 lg Onion; finely chopped
      2 lg Carrots; thinly sliced
      1 tb Salt
    1/2 ts Whole black peppercorns
      5    Parsley sprigs
      1    Bay leaf
      8 c  Water
      8 md Onions; thinly sliced, in
           -rings
      1    Clove garlic; minced or
           -pressed
      2 tb Flour
      1 c  Dry white wine
      6    Thick slices French bread
      1 c  Shredded Swiss cheese
      1 c  Shredded Parmesan cheese
 
  In a large soup kettle (at least six-quart size), heat 1 tablespoon
  of the butter and all of the oil. Add beef shanks and brown well on
  all sides. Add chopped onion, carrots, salt, pepper, parsley, bay
  leaf, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for
  about 3 hours, until broth is richly flavored.
  
  Strain broth into a large bowl. When meat is cool enough to handle,
  cut into chunks and return it, with marrow from bones, to broth;
  discard vegetables and bones. Chill soup; skim off fat. (This much
  can be done 1 to
        2    days ahead.)
  
  In same large soup kettle, heat remaining 5 tablespoons butter. Add
  sliced onions, cover, and cook until limp, about 10 minutes. Uncover
  and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until onions brown
  lightly, about 30 minutes longer. (Reduce heat if onions become too
  brown.) Stir in garlic and flour. Cook and stir until bubbly. Remove
  from heat and stir in about 4 cups of the broth. Return to heat; mix
  in remaining broth with beef; add wine. Bring to a gentle boil,
  cover, reduce heat, and simmer until ready to serve. Salt to taste.
  
  Meanwhile, place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 250
  degree oven. Toast until bread is very dry and barely browned (about
  30 minutes). Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the mixed cheeses over each
  toast slice.
  
  To serve, ladle soup into heatproof bowls. Top each with a
  cheese-and-toast slice. Place under broiler, about 5 inches from
  heat, until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
  Serve immediately.
  
  NOTES : The traditional soup of the legendary Paris market, Les
  Halles, is a rich beef broth, dense with onions, crowned with
  cheese-laden toast, and so filling it is almost a main dish. Here, to
  take it one rich step further, the broth is made with meaty beef
  shanks. All this soup needs to become a meal is a leafy salad with an
  oil and vinegar dressing, and a robust red wine. The broth can be
  prepared a day or more in advance. Recipe