Onion Soup

4 large onions (I used 2 red and 2 white)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp flour (cornflour if you need to be gluten-free)
1 litre water
1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot
Seasoning to taste

To serve:
Toasted cheese, ideally Emmental, ideally on a chunk of baguette (but ordinary cheese on toast will do); 1 slice per bowl.

Peel and slice onions and place in a heavy-bottomed pan with the olive oil and balsamic.  Cook on a low-ish heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the onions are soft and colouring, add the flour and stir well for a few seconds until the flour browns.  Now add the water and Stock Pot (of if you are that way inclined, you could use a litre of your own home-made stock), adjust the seasoning (I used salt, pepper and soya sauce).  Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes or so while you make the cheese on toast.  Place a slice of cheese on toast into a big soup bowl and pour the boiling soup over it.

Vegetable Carbonara

2-3 potatoes, diced
1 packet lardons
1 leek, chopped
A bit of cabbage, also chopped ("just a nice amount")
2 eggs
About 50g strong Cheddar, grated
Pepper (the recipe won't need salt).

Put the lardons into a large, shallow casserole or frying pan and cook gently until the juices run.  Then add the potatoes, leeks and cabbage, cover, and allow to cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are done.  Whisk the eggs together, and stir them and the grated cheese through the hot vegetables until the eggs are just set, like you do spaghetti carbonara.

Prune and Armagnac ice-cream

150 g stone-out prunes
200 ml boiling water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs Armagnac
4-5 tbs Greek yoghurt

Put the prunes and sugar into a bowl; pour over boiling water.  Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool and cook for 5-6 hours.

In a food processor or blender, blend the prunes, armagnac and yoghurt and as much of the prune juice as is necessary to make a fairly thick batter.  You can drink the rest but it is foully sweet (you need ice-cream to be sweeter than what you would normally eat).  Freeze as normal.