Roast Garlic Soup

Roast Garlic Soup is a tasty treat on any chilly autumn evening but is particularly welcome at Halloween. A perfect way of deterring visiting vampires! Although this is particularly seasonal, I must confess I really chose this soup to use (and show off) my new garlicky mug. I treated myself on a recent to visit Bran Castle Romania, home of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) and inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  It was a great experience. If you ever get the opportunity – go!

Now, I suspect I am pointing out the obvious – I wouldn’t serve this on a first date! Although roasting makes the garlic beautifully sweet it is still garlic and fairly pungent.

Roast Garlic Soup

Serves 2-3

Difficulty Easy

Suitable for Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten free diets

Ingredients

• 5 garlic bulbs
• 1 medium onion {shallots also work well} – chopped
• A generous glug of oil for roasting and another for cooking the onions and potato
• 1 large baking potato – diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 250 ml Oatly (single cream)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan.
2. Prep your garlic by removing most of the papery coating and cutting the tips off the top. Place in a foil parcel, drizzle with a large dollop of oil, seal your parcel and place in the oven.
3. Roast for around 45 minutes. I first check mine after 30 minutes ‘just in case’ as the time needed may vary. Your garlic should be removed form the oven once it is golden and soft. See the before and after picture below.
4. While your garlic is roasting in the oven… heat some oil in a soup pan, add the onions and potato and cook until the onion is clear and soft but not brown.
5. Add the cumin seeds and heat for a few minutes. You may need to make a small well in the middle of the onion and potato mixture to ensure they get the heat.
6. Once the garlic is cooked, has been removed form the oven and cooled slightly, squeeze each clove to pop the now soft garlic from its shell and into the pan. This should be easy to do.
7. Add your stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes (remember the ingredients have all been cooked already) then remove from the heat.
8. Add the Oatly or single cream, add salt and pepper to taste, blend and serve. (I just used a stick blender).

The bat in my main picture is an ordinary crouton – just because it amuses me :). I added a wee swirl of watered down tomato puree too. That does nothing for the taste but does make me laugh.

Happy Halloween!

Val x