4 large onions, finely chopped
60 g flour
1 litre prepared stock - homemade or from a stock cube
50 g butter
125 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
French bread, cut into thick slices

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the onions and and cook over low heat until the onions are soft and browned. Add the flour a little at a time and stir it into the onions. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Divide the soup into four warmed soup bowls and float a slice of bead on top of the soup in each bowl. Sprinkle the bread with parmesan cheese and then put the bowls under a pre-heated grill until the cheese begins to melt. Serve immediately.

This is a substantial and tasty starter for a meal. Onions contain a range of compounds beneficial to health.