Meatless Monday: Roasted garlic soup with Parmesan crisps
February 25, 2013 by SoHungryBlog
by Caitlin Saniga
This soup was smooth, creamy, garlicky and beautifully aromatic, thanks to the bay leaf and white wine. For leftovers, I added a big scoop of rice and some steamed asparagus, which made it into almost a risotto and was also terrific.
- 1 large garlic head, whole, unpeeled
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- chopped scallion, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a serrated knife, cut the top off the garlic head so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bay leaf and fold the foil to form a packet. Place the packet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, squeeze the garlic head until all of the roasted flesh is released. Discard the outer husks the bay leaf.
In a large heavy-duty saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil and butter, add onions, and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the potato, chicken stock, white wine, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 35 minutes.
Using a blender, purée the soup in small batches until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Heat until warmed. Do not boil. Keep warm until ready to serve.
In a large pan over medium heat, drop Parmesan by the rounded tablespoonful into 4 separate clumps. Cook undisturbed until the cheese crisps up and turns golden-brown. Transfer the pan to the fridge, placing a hot pad underneath, and let cool for 2 minutes. Dab the cheese crisps with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Place a cheese crisp on the surface of each bowl of soup. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve warm.
Recipe adapted from: Country Living
This looks fab – I have never made parmesan crisps, but I now have a craving for them 🙂
They’re super simple. You should try them! They’re also tasty with salads (ex: http://bit.ly/13hVY9q).
— Caitlin
This looks fabulous!