Leek and roasted garlic soup

Serves:4

Ingredients

1 large garlic bulb
1½ tbsp olive oil
4 large leeks, thickly sliced
1 medium baking potato, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks
1 litre fresh vegetable stock
3 thyme sprigs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C, gas mark 5. Slice the top off the garlic bulb, to just expose the flesh within. Drizzle with tbsp olive oil, season with salt and wrap loosely in a foil parcel. Roast for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, soften the leeks in the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan or casserole, stirring over a low heat for 5 minutes. Cover, turn the heat to very low and cook gently for 10 minutes more. Uncover and add the potato, stock and 1 thyme sprig. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. Reserve 4 large roasted garlic cloves. Squeeze the remainder into the soup, stirring well, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprig and blend the soup until completely smooth, either in the pan with a handheld blender, or in an upright blender. Season and loosen with a splash more water, if liked.

3. Squeeze the reserved roasted garlic flesh into a bowl and add the stripped leaves from the remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice; season and beat with a fork to make the mixture as smooth as possible. Reheat the blended soup and divide between warmed serving bowls. Spoon the roasted garlic oil over and serve straight away. 

This recipe first appeared in Waitrose & Partners Food, January 2019 issue. Download the Waitrose & Partners Food app for the full issue

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