Garlic Soup With Crispy Prosciutto Food

GARLIC SOUP WITH CRISPY PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, trim the top off of each head of garlic, keeping the bulb intact. Place each bulb in a square of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Drizzle each bulb with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and about 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves. Wrap foil around bulbs and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until garlic is very tender. Open foil carefully by cutting along top with a sharp knife, allowing steam to escape; then open top.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chopped shallots and saute on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, remaining thyme and bay leaf. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves into the pot. Saute for 3 minutes over medium heat. Stir in broth and 1 cup cream. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes to cool. Remove thyme and bay leaf.
• For the prosciutto, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place slices flat on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Break the prosciutto into small pieces and set aside. In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; return to pot. Stir in remaining cup of cream and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with crispy prosciutto, lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Finish with a few leaves of parsley.

PEA SOUP WITH CRISP PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook the leeks for 5 minutes, stirring until they have softened; add the potatoes, garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes; add the stock and bring to the boil over a high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes; add the peas and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
• Puree with a hand blender until the soup is smooth. If you like a bit of chunkiness in your soups, take out a portion of the soup before pureeing, then return it to the pot after you've finished pureeing the bulk of the soup.
• Meanwhile, place the prosciutto on a baking tray and cook it under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes each side, until crisp.
• Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, and serve it in bowls with prosciutto and crispy rolls.
• TIP: If you're a microwave rather than a grill user, or your grill is a bit dodgy, you may prefer to cook your prosciutto in a single layer between 2 double sheets of kitchen paper for a couple of minutes in the microwave. Because microwaves vary so enormously in heat, if using this option, err on the side of caution and just cook the prosciutto for a minute to start with.and then perhaps for an extra 30 seconds at a time until the prosciutto is how you want it. It's too delicious to waste. Not quite as crisp as grilled, but a useful alternative. Apologies if this is a method you've known for years! It's a useful tip if you're unfamiliar with it.

ROAST TOMATO SOUP WITH BASIL AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Core the tomatoes - use the tip of a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut all around the stem end, and then pop out the core.
• Cut the tomato into halves if small, or quarters if large.
• Place the tomatoes on a roasting tray, with cut sides facing up.
• Sprinkle with raw sugar, salt and pepper.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour, checking from time to time that they are not burning.
• Remove and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based pan.
• Gently saute the onions and garlic until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the roasted tomatoes with all the juices from the baking tray, the tinned tomatoes and their juice, white wine, stock and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove from heat and add basil leaves, keeping four to six aside for garnish.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 390F in preparation for crisping the proscuitto.
• Blend the soup with a stick blender or food processor and then pass through a fine sieve.
• Check for seasoning and, if desired add another teaspoon of sugar and pepper to taste - you probably won't need to add any salt as the proscuitto is quite salty already (see below).
• Place the sliced prosciutto on a cake rack and set on an oven tray.
• Cook the proscuitto for 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
• Remove from oven, cool on rack and crumble into pieces.
• Just before serving, bring the soup to a simmer, add the cream and heat through gently.
• Pour the hot soup into 6 shallow bowls.
• Sprinkle with crispy prosciutto and sliced basil, and serve.