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Garlic Soup

garlic soup in a bowl with a spoon
  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  40 min

Ingredients

  • 3 heads of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
  • 2 cups packed stemmed and roughly torn curly kale
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF with a rack in the center position.

  2. Trim the tops off the garlic heads just enough to expose the cloves. Place each head on a separate piece of aluminum foil. Pour the olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap the foil around each head of garlic and place on a sheet pan. Roast the garlic for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and let cool in the foil.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl, reserving the rendered fat in the pot.

  4. Add the onion to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. If browned bits are stuck to the bottom, add a splash of the chicken stock and scrape them up with a wooden spoon, then add the remaining stock. Once the roasted garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze it out of its skins and into the pot of soup.

  5. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot. (Alternatively, transfer the soup to the base of a blender, and blend until smooth. Then pour the soup back into the pot.) Over medium heat, stir in the salt, pepper, kale and cream and cook until the kale is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

  6. Serve the soup warm, topped with the crispy pancetta, the Parmesan, and freshly cracked pepper.