Provençal Garlic Soup

August has rolled around, and you know what that means.  Yep, it's soup month here at An Eat'n Man.   This month we decided to get all garlicky with it and present you with this Provençal treat.  Yes, Garlic soup.  Sounds weird, but it tastes great, and that's all that matters.

I'm a sucker for garlic flavor.  Garlic bread, garlic on pasta, garlic on pizza.  If you're like me, this soup is a great way to get your garlic fix.  It's also quick, simple and easy to make.

Ingredients

8 Cups Water
3/4 Cup Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup White Onion
1/3 Cup Celery
1/3 Cup Fennel Bulb
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 Bay Leaf
6 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Potato
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Start the water boiling in a saucepan.

Now, prep the garlic.  I basically use a full bulb and break it into individual cloves.

Now, peeling all those little cloves can be a chore.  Thankfully, I've got this little device, a garlic peeler.

It's basically just a rubber tube that you insert said garlic clove into...

press down firmly and roll a few times...

and presto, the garlic clove comes out perfectly peeled.  Amazing.

Boil the peeled garlic cloves for five minutes.

This will cut their bite but still leave behind their flavor.

Next, dice your onion,

then your celery and fennel bulb.

Discard the fennel leaves.

Saute the onion, celery and fennel bulb with the olive oil in a large pot.

Drain the garlic and discard the water.

Add the whole garlic cloves to the pot and saute until the veggies are soft.

Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.

Add the chicken stock.

Peel and dice your potato into small cubes.  Add this to the pot.

Make a herb bundle.  Tie up the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf with kitchen twine.

Add it to the pot.

Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove herb bundle and discard it.

Using a stick blender, puree the soup to a fine consistency.

Add heavy cream and stir.

Let warm through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Until next time,


Chris