Jamies Roasted Sweet Garlic Soup Recipes

ROASTED SWEET GARLIC, BREAD AND ALMOND SOUP

Steps:

• I'm not quite sure where I got the inspiration for this recipe - I think it was actually when I was making bread one day and I incorporated some really sweet caramelized garlic and almonds into a focaccia. There's a slightly Spanish feel to the main ingredients - think of it as putting a bunch of old friends together and having a good party! My mother's initial reaction was, 'My God, that's a lot of garlic, you'll stink!' but don't let the amount put you off, as when garlic is roasted in its skin the pungent flavour is replaced by a jammy sweetness which is divine.
• Roast the garlic cloves in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 for around half an hour until soft to the touch. Meanwhile, take a large pot and slowly fry the white onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil for about 10 minutes until really soft and translucent. Add the cream and the stock, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, awaiting your garlic. Remove the garlic from the oven and allow to cool slightly before squeezing out all the sweet, golden paste. Whisk this into the soup. Discard the garlic skins.
• Remove the crusts from your ciabatta, rip up the bread into small pieces and throw into the soup. Add the sherry vinegar, then allow the soup to simmer for 5 more minutes. Whiz it until smooth in your food processor with your toasted almonds. Season nicely to taste and serve in big bowls sprinkled with some orange segments, torn up coriander and mint, and drizzled with a good lug of extra virgin olive oil.
• Try this: You can eat this cold in the summer - it's obviously going to be thick, which I think is a nice thing, but you can thin it with a little milk or stock if you want to.
• And this: You may want to big up the sherry vinegar to give it that twang you get with a Spanish gazpacho soup.
• Or this: There's a similar recipe from Spain where sliced white grapes are added to the soup - this contrasts really well with the garlic, so give it a go. A handful will do. Nice when eaten both hot and cold.

ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off top 1/4 inch of each garlic head. Place in a small, shallow baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until golden, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Press individual garlic cloves between thumb and finger to release. Chop garlic.
• Melt butter or margarine in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks, and onion; saute until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in hot broth and sherry. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
• Return soup to saucepan, and add cream. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and white pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives.

ROASTED GARLIC AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Remove papery outer skin from garlic bulb (do not peel or separate cloves). Cut top off bulb; brush with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Wrap in heavy-duty foil., Place sweet potatoes and onions in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with remaining oil; toss to coat. , Bake garlic and vegetables at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Cool for 10-15 minutes., Place 1-1/2 cups broth, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a blender. Squeeze softened garlic into mixture; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. , In batches, process the sweet potatoes, onions and remaining broth until smooth; add to garlic mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

ROASTED SWEET GARLIC AND THYME RISOTTO WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• For the basic risotto: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Roast the whole garlic heads on a dish in the oven until soft, about 30 minutes.
• Stage 1: Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat the olive oil, add the shallots or onions, garlic, and celery, and fry slowly for about 4 minutes. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.
• Stage 2: The rice will now begin to fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring, it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavors will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.
• Stage 3: Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Separate the roasted garlic cloves and squeeze out the sweet insides into the risotto. Add the thyme and black pepper to the risotto. Turn down the heat to a highish simmer, so the rice doesn't cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladles of stock.
• Stage 4: Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir gently. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. This is the most important part of making the risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat as soon as possible while the risotto retains its perfect texture. In a frying pan toast the almonds and bread crumbs in a little olive oil until crisp and golden. Season with a little salt. Set to one side. Serve the risotto with the toasted almonds and bread crumbs sprinkled over the top. Lovely.

ROASTED GARLIC GINGER SWEET POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Slice potatoes in half lengthwise.
• Brush cut surfaces with vegetable oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet.
• Scatter garlic cloves in center of pan (you may need two pans).
• Bake until potatoes are very soft, about 25-60 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.
• Scoop out potato pulp from skins and place in a blender (you may need to do this in several batches depending on the size of your blender and the size of the sweet potato).
• Squeeze garlic cloves from their skin (use to taste, I used about 2), and place in blender with ginger.
• Whirl potatoes, adding broth slowly as needed to produce a puree.
• Transfer puree to a large pot and stir in remaining broth and water until desired thickness (as you heat the soup it will thicken so you may need to add more water as it heats).
• Heat over medium low, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until hot.
• Soup keeps well frozen or in the refrigerator.