recipe | roasted garlic and onion soup

stinkin' good soup... Now, I must preface this with this little disclaimer that this soup is for true garlic lovers. It has a fabulous full body flavor that is undoubtly 100% garlic. It is quite different than my previous garlic soup posting in that this soup focuses on the deep, roasted, carmalized flavor of garlic, rather than garlic's spicy side. The only thing missing to make this a perfect lunch was a big, hunk of peasant bread.

Roasted Garlic & Onion Soup

serves 6

4 medium sized garlic head

4T extra virgin olive oil

1T unsalted butter

2 large onions, chopped

1/3c flour

1/2c sherry

4c chicken, turkey or vegetable stock

2T fresh lemon juice

1/2c half and half

1/2c milk

sprigs of fresh thyme

Remove outer skin of garlic heads, trim off the top and drizzle with one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Roast in a 325ºF oven for one hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cooled. Once cool, squeeze garlic into a bowl and mash with a fork.

In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with the unsalted butter. Add the roasted garlic and chopped onions and saute over medium low heat for ten minutes until onions are golden brown. Add flour and stir constantly over medium heat for five minutes. Stir in the sherry. Slowly stir in the stock in small batches. Add lemon juice. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the half and half and milk. Cook until heated. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme.