Roasted Garlic Soup With Swiss Cheese And Prosciutto Food

CREAMY ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut off top quarter inch of each garlic head and place the garlic heads in a small shallow baking dish.
• Drizzle oil over garlic heads.
• Bake until golden, about one hour.
• Cool slightly.
• Press individual garlic cloves between thumb and finger to release garlic oils.
• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add garlic, leeks and onion and saute until onion is translucent, about eight minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, add flour and cook ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in hot stock and sherry.
• Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in blender or processor.
• Return the soup to the saucepan.
• Add cream and simmer until thickened, about ten minutes.
• Add lemon juice to taste.
• Season with salt and white pepper.
• Place one slice of toast in bottom of bowl.
• Ladle soup into bowls.
• Place slice of provolone cheese on top and broil on low for 3-5 minutes to melt cheese.

PROSCIUTTO SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a pot or kettle. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Chop the prosciutto (remove the fat if you must, but remember that it has flavor) into 1/4-inch or smaller cubes and add to the oil. Brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, while you prepare the garlic, onion, and greens.
• Peel the garlic and chop it roughly or leave it whole. Peel and chop the onion. Wash and chop the greens into bite-sized pieces.
• When the prosciutto has browned, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to color, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes translucent, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the greens and stir, then add the boiling water. (You can prepare the dish in advance up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then reheat before proceeding.) Stir in the pasta and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper; adjust the heat so the mixture simmers.
• When the pasta is done, taste and adjust the seasoning. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve.
• Variations
• The basic recipe, though delicious, is on the meager side, the kind of soup people make when times are hard or no one's been shopping lately: a small piece of meat, some common vegetables, a little pasta. But you can make it as elaborate as you like and even convert it to a stew by doubling the amount of meat, vegetables, and pasta. The chopping time will be extended slightly, but the cooking time will remain more or less the same.
• Add more root vegetables, like thinly sliced carrots or chopped celery, or diced potatoes or turnips.
• Vary the greens: Shredded cabbage is perfect for this soup and will cook as quickly as kale. Collard, mustard, and turnip greens are also appropriate. Some peas and/or corn will work nicely, too, even if they come from the freezer.
• Use any starch you like in place of the pasta: Rice and barley, each of which take a few minutes longer than pasta, are good choices.
• Add tomatoes, either fresh, canned, or paste, for color and flavor. To use tomato paste, just stir a couple of tablespoons into the sautéing vegetables before adding the water. Tomatoes should be added with the onions so they have time to break up.
• Leftovers are great, like a bit of chopped chicken or some vegetables from a previous meal (rinse them with boiling water if they were sauced).
• Consider the chopped-up rind of hard cheese, like Parmesan, which will not only soften enough to become edible during cooking but will add great flavor to the soup.

ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off top 1/4 inch of each garlic head. Place in a small, shallow baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until golden, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Press individual garlic cloves between thumb and finger to release. Chop garlic.
• Melt butter or margarine in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks, and onion; saute until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in hot broth and sherry. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
• Return soup to saucepan, and add cream. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and white pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives.

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.