5 large onions, yellow or white, sliced thinly
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 cup wine, red or white. Use wine you might drink. not "cooking wine."
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp worcestershite sauce
10 cups vegetarian broth, or water with vegetarian broth powder
For the croutons:
Baguette slices
Spray olive oil or other spray vegetable oil
Granulated garlic
Italian type seasonings (marjoram, basil, oregano, etc)
Good Italian hard cheese, like grana padano or parmegiano-reggiano, grated.
Put the olive oil in a deep pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the onions, all of them. Cook slowly over medium-low to low heat for 30-45 minutes, until lightly browned and sweet. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
Coat one side of the baguette slices with the oil, garlic, and other seasonings. Toast in an oven heated to 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Pull out the slices and turn them over. Season the other side with garlic and spices, and add the cheese. Return to the oven to toast and melt the cheese.
Serve the soup with croutons. 2 per 1 cup serving is usually about right.