Roasted Garlic Beer Soup

Don't judge.  I was trying to efficiently use up remaining bulk garlic and create a recipe for a "Meatless Monday" meal for tomorrow.  It all works fabulously together and is very tasty indeed.  Even though there are 2 cups of garlic cloves in this soup, the roasting sweetens and mellows the flavor.  It's not overpowering, but the old rule of thumb still applies...make sure your sweetie has some too.  Wink Wink! 

Roasted Garlic Beer Soup

Yield: 9 cups (4 to 6 servings)

Cooking time: 2 Hours

Ingredients

2 c garlic cloves (plus additional for garnish, optional)
3 T olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, medium dice
6 T all-purpose flour
1.5 t salt
1 t pepper
2 12 oz. beers (Killian’s Red was used in testing)
2 c whole milk
1 c plain yogurt

Method

 

• Place garlic in a baking dish with 1 T of the olive oil, cover and roast in a 300 degree oven for 1.5 hours.
• Meanwhile place the remaining 2 T of olive oil in a heated pan, add onions and cook on low stirring until just beginning to caramelize. 
• Add the flour, salt and pepper stirring to combine and continue to cook for 2 minutes. 
• Add beer, stir and continue to cook until it begins to boil.  
• Turn down the heat, add milk and garlic and continue stirring until heated through.  Turn off. 
• Process the soup safely in batches with a blender or a Vitamix.  Return to pan. 
• Remove a cup of soup and mix with the yogurt returning to pan and stir until thoroughly combined. 
• Check seasoning and adjust if needed.   
• Heat soup on low until it reaches serving temperature.  Ladle portions into bowls and garnish if desired.

Garnish:  Slice cloves of garlic thinly add to a heated pan with 1 T olive oil, add a dash of salt.  Continuously stir until garlic is a light golden brown.  Remove from pan quickly as it will continue to cook.  Place gently on top of soup, serve and enjoy!

~CGJ

Curried Carrot Soup

The heat hasn't set in yet and won't hopefully for months to come.  Who am I kidding...living in the South the temperature passed 80 degrees today, but it was cool enough this morning to have me thinking about soup all day long.  I shared a soup recipe with you not long ago using frozen peas.  The structure of this
Curried Carrot Soup recipe is similar and you can create countless variations, depending on what is in season.  No matter what the outside temperature...there is a calling... a feeling that comes over all of us that can only be answered by warm, comforting and soul satisfying soup.  Well, here it is.

Curried Carrot Soup

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

1.25 lbs. carrots, peeled (about 7 medium)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
12 cloves garlic
2 t grated ginger
1 T olive oil
1.5 t salt
.75 t ground black pepper
2 t curry powder
2 T Tamari
2 c vegetable stock
2 c half and half (or whole milk)
.5 c sour cream
Whole wheat croutons for garnish (optional)

Method

• In a food processor grate carrots on a medium blade. 
• Place grated carrots in a microwave safe bowl, add 1 T water and cook on High for 5 minutes
• Meanwhile, place roughly chopped onions in the food processor and process with blade attachment until a small dice. 
• Add olive oil to a large pan, heat until shimmering, add onions and begin to sauté, stirring often.
• Meanwhile add the garlic to the processor and process with blade attachment until a fine dice.
• Add garlic to the pan and continue cooking until onions are soft.
• Add ginger, salt, pepper, curry powder and Tamari…stir until combined.
• Add carrots, vegetable stock and half and half, continue cooking and stirring until just begins to boil.  Turn off heat.
• Process safely in batches in a blender or Vitamix and return to the pan.  Add a cup of carrot mixture to the sour cream, stir until thoroughly combined and add back to the pan. 
• Heat until serving temperature, garnish with whole wheat croutons (optional) and serve.

Enjoy

~CGJ

Cream of Basil Pea Soup

 

 

This morning I walked out of the house in a hurry on the way to work...

without a jacket, sweater or anything...arms exposed and chilly.  I thought it was supposed to warm up, so I wasn't that concerned.  It did not!  I was cold all day and wanting something warm and comforting for dinner.  Soup came to mind and in particular a soup that I had made for our Downton Abbey finale dinner recently (with sweet friends Lori and Bailey Baynham) from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines.  I was shy many a main ingredient, so I determined the primary substitutions to be peas and basil.  The proportions are quite different too, but it works.  Neil (my husband) said it was dangerously good and to indeed serve it again.  I will be keeping a bag of frozen peas standing by at the ready... for when I start craving delicious, heartening soup again.

 

Cream of Basil Pea Soup

 

1 pound bag frozen green peas - defrosted

 

½ cup unsalted butter

3 shallots – finely minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups vegetable stock

 

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons tamari sauce

15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice – chiffonade (reserve 2 teaspoons for garnish)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup sour cream, plus additional for garnish

 

Method

·       Melt butter in pan

·       Add shallots and sauté until soft (6 to 8 minutes), stirring frequently

·       Add peas and salt; continue stirring until heated through (2 minutes)

·       Add flour; continue stirring until incorporated

·       Add stock, pepper, tamari sauce and basil and continue stirring until thickened

·       Add cream, turn off heat

·       Puree mixture with an immersion blender or in small batches in a blender and return to pan

·       Remove one cup of mixture and stir in sour cream

·       Add back to soup, stir gently and heat through, pour into serving dishes, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and reserved basil

 

Enjoy 

~CGJ