26-Clove-Garlic Soup!

Yup, that's a helluva lot of garlic for one soup! Trust me, it pays off. You might want to warn your loved ones, or, even better, force-feed them bowl after bowl of this soup instead. When roasted, the garlic looses some of that pungent flavour & instead takes on a sweeter, deeper taste.

This is true rustic cooking at its best. According to culinary literature, the garlic season arrives towards late summer. I can imagine enjoying this soup year-round: a healthy, spring-clean burst of flavour in April, or a comforting, rich, velvety soup to bring to a close the darkest of November nights. Preferably served with warm, crusty bread, salted butter, Manzanilla olives, a roaring fireside, & the French countryside on your doorstep.

Serves 2-3. Based loosely on this wonderful recipe from Joy The Baker.

Recipe

~ 26 cloves garlic (or thereabouts)

~ 2 medium potatoes

~ 2 tbsp rosemary

~  leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme

~ sea salt & black pepper

~ 3 tbsp olive oil

~ 2 onions

~ 3 tbsp flour

~ 1 tbsp finely chopped chilli pepper

~ 4 cups chicken bouillon

~ 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt

~ lemon wedges, to serve

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Break the garlic bulbs into cloves, toss with olive oil & seasoning, & place in a roasting tray. 

2. Chop the potatoes (unpeeled) into bite-size chunks, & toss with olive oil, seasoning & rosemary, & arrange in another roasting tray. Both the garlic & potatoes roast for approx 45 mins.

3. Keep the potatoes in the warmed oven so they retain their heat for serving. Remove the garlic cloves & separate them from the skins (this can be easily done by securing one end of the clove with a knife & then sliding the skin off with the other hand).

4. Chop the onions, & fry in a large saucepan with the olive oil, chilli & thyme for 4 mins until just beginning to caramelise.

5. Add the garlic plus the flour, & fry for another few mins to fully cook the flour through.

6. Add the chicken bouillon & simmer for 20 mins.

7. Remove the soup from the heat & blend.

8. Return to the heat, & add the yoghurt, stirring continuously - use a whisk if the yoghurt is too thick to absorb quickly.

9. Remove from the heat. Place a few of the potatoes in a shallow bowl, & then pour the soup around them. Garnish with a good squeeze of lemon.

10. Enjoy!

{all photos by me}