Garlic Soup! (that's right, sounds gross, but it's unbelievably delicious!)
The really great thing about this recipe is that it is very forgiving. If you want to modify the amounts of the vegetables you put in your soup, go right ahead. I have found it to be very, very tasty, and with all the veggies in it it's bound to be good for you. So here you go...
WHAT YOU NEED
1 medium - large size onion (I'd recommend a sweet onion without any real kick. We have plenty available...)
3 leeks
3-4 cloves of garlic (I use elephant garlic, which is known for it's surprising mildness and versatility)
2 TBSP chopped chives, fresh out of the garden if you can get it
6 TBSP flour
1 cup whipping cream
4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup dry sherry
2 TBSP cooking oil (I use wok oil)
6 TBSP butter
salt and pepper to taste
WHAT TO DO
1) Start with the garlic. Peel the papery exterior off, but don't peel down to the core. Take a shallow baking pan, like a bread pan, and set the cloves in the pan. Drizzle with the cooking oil, and cover with a small piece of foil, so it won't burn. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for one hour.
2) Take your leeks and onion, wash and peel accordingly. Dice in approximately 1/4" chunks, maybe a little smaller. Remember, you will be eating these in your soup so don't get it too chunky. This doesn't have to be exactly uniform. In a large cooking pan, simmer the chopped leeks and onion in the butter for about 6-7 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent. Peel the skin off the baked garlic, dice and add to leeks and onions in the pan. Add the flour. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
3) Take the chicken stock and heat to just a boil.
4) Add chicken stock and dry sherry to the vegetables, simmer for 20 minutes.
5) Add the cup of whipping cream, simmer until it starts to thicken.
6) Garnish with the chopped chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
I have found this to be excellent, and not garlicky at all. In fact, no one who eats my soup even gets garlic breath.
Enjoy! |
