Recipe: Creamy Roast Garlic & Lemon Soup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Drizzle one garlic head with olive oil, wrap with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour, or until very soft. Set aside cool until it can be handled. Using your fingers, gently squeeze the cloves to release them from their skins into a bowl, and set aside.
2. In a pot, add butter, onions, parsley and thyme and cook until the onions are just softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the other head fresh garlic (peeled but cloves whole) and roasted garlic, with the flour and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes more.
4. Add the vegetable stock and lemon juice and zest then turn down the heat and let the soup simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes, or until the fresh garlic is very tender.
5. Turn off the heat, add the cream cheese and puree the soup with a stick blender. When reheating, do not allow to boil.
6. Sprinkle a handful of grated parmesan in the bottom of the bowl and ladle soup over the top.
7. Serve with parsley and parmesan to garnish and crusty bread on the side.