Creamy Garlic Soup with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Ahead of time, halve the garlic heads crosswise, drizzle them with the olive oil and wrap in foil.

   KnifeCutting boardAluminum foil
2. 2
   Roast the wrapped garlic heads in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 45 minutes, until the garlic is roasted and completely soft. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

   OvenBakeware
3. 3
   Heat the olive oil and rest of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
4. 4
   Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.

To assemble

1. 5
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
2. 6
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
3. 7
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 8
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
5. 9
   Add the roasted garlic and the potatoes, stock and thyme and bring to a boil.

   Stove
6. 10
   Turn down the heat and simmer 20 minutes.

   Stove
7. 11
   Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

   Stick blender
8. 12
   Add the cream, season with salt and black pepper and heat another 5 minutes.

   Stove

   💡The cream or cheese goes in after blending, over low heat: a hard boil after adding them can make the soup separate.
9. 13
   Serve with the parsley.
10. 14
    Drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl.