Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour>

Sharing this soup is the highlight of "Morgestraich," the raucous 3 a.m. opening to Basel's legendary carnival.

Every reveller has some of this revivifying soup, made with toasted flour, onions, butter and broth. In olden times, the girls of Basel were not eligible to marry until they had learned to make flour soup.

A tip: Just before serving, you can give the soup a little more body with the addition of a dash of red wine.
You can make the soup a day ahead, let it cool, refrigerate it and then reheat it over low heat.

You can also toast the flour in advance and store it in a dark dry place for about a month.

Some cooks like to sprinkle the soup with rings of roasted onion just before serving, in which case you can omit the sautéed onion strips.

1. Brown the flour by placing it in a dry pan over medium heat and stirring constantly until it takes on a golden color. Remove from the pan to a plate and cool.
2. While the flour is cooling, melt the butter in the pan. Peel and cut the onion lengthwise into long, thin strips.
3. Sauté the onion for several minutes in the butter, until translucent.
4. Stir the flour back into the pan with the onions, pour the beef bouillon over it, stirring so no lumps form.
5. Simmer for at least an hour, stirring often. This soup is even better when simmered longer.

Serve in soup plates and sprinkle cheese on top.

A Swiss red wine