I’ve had a nagging craving for something since about an hour after dinner. Couldn’t articulate what it was until about 15 minutes ago.
“Welsh Rabbit!” My mind finally alighted upon something I haven’t eaten in decades.
My family used to eat this for dinner a few times a month. It’s a tasty, rather filling meal that costs a few pennies per person. I’ve made it a few times since I left my mother’s house, but don’t think I’ve made it in the 20 years since Irish Woman and I became a couple.
This recipe is how I remember my bad-side-of-Boston Irish mother making it. It shares a few things with Welsh Rarebit, which I have had when traveling to the United Kingdom and enjoyed with a glass of dark beer. But it’s the trailer-park version, so my description of it to my Brit friends horrified them.
Anyway, I’m the only one up, so I took 5 minutes and made a small batch just as a snack. It turned out exactly as I remembered it, so I’ll have to make it for lunch sometime and teach Boo how to make something tasty for very little money or effort.
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of bacon fat or butter
- 1 small can condensed Cream of Tomato soup
- Salt and pepper (Go easy on the salt, especially if you’re using bacon grease. The canned soup will have quite a bit of salt in it)
- Liquid (beer, beef broth, water, depending on tastes and budget)
- Cheese, finely grated (Cheddar is best, but store brand Velveeta will do in a pinch when you’re making dinner with what you can find in the corner of the cupboard)
- 1 or 2 pieces of toasted sandwich bread
In a small saucepan, melt the fat, then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, then cook the onions until they just start to caramelize. You want them soft, translucent, and just starting to brown. The onions will contribute flavor and texture, but not crunch.
Add in the tomato soup concentrate, and stir thoroughly. Add enough of your liquid so that the sauce is just a little thicker than a cup of tomato soup. Heat until the sauce is simmering.
Sprinkle in one or two handfuls of cheddar a little bit at a time. Stir each sprinkle into the sauce until it melts, then add a bit more. Your sauce is done when the color goes from deep red to an orange-red. Let sauce come back to simmer, then remove from heat.
You can serve this by tearing the toast up into a bowl and spooning sauce over it. Alternatively, you can lay your toast on a plate and cover it with sauce. I’m a dipper, so I just take triangles of bread and sop up some sauce.
Really good for chilly weather meals and snacks.