ROAST GARLIC AND THYME SOUP

This excellent soup is wonderful for helping you to get rid of coughs and colds and protecting you from further bugs.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine garlic and onions are used to expel bacteria and viruses and to nourish our Lung Qi, which helps boost immunity. Thyme is also known to support the immune system and help with coughing.  It’s also rich in vitamin C. This soup is delicious at any time of the year and is particularly good in Autumn and Winter.    Garlic and onions can sometimes bring on a mild sweating (which is good as this also helps you to disperse – literally sweat out – colds and coughs). You can add some cinnamon to it if you need to get a big sweat going.

Gather your ingredients!

4 garlic bulbs

2 onions

avocado oil (this oil has a high smoke point so it’s safe to use for cooking)

fresh thyme

vegetable / chicken stock

optional: 1/2 stick cinnamon

salt and pepper

Get chopping! 

Dismantle three garlic bulbs into cloves (leave the skins on) and put them in an oven-proof dish with some salt and pepper and avocado oil.  Cover tightly with tin foil or a lid and roast them for about 45 mins at 180 degrees. You’ll quickly start to notice a lovely, garlicky aroma in your kitchen.

Finely chop your onions and sweat them in a shallow skillet or pan for at least 20 mins on a low heat.  They should be translucent, succulent and like caramel.  

While the onions are sweating away, peel and finely chop your remaining garlic cloves (you’ll be using your last whole garlic bulb).  

Chop up your fresh thyme (use about 10 sprigs – more if you like).  

Add the garlic and thyme to the onions and cook gently (garlic can burn easily if the heat is too high) for another 5 mins.  

Your roasted garlic will now be done so take it out of the oven and carefully remove the garlic cloves from their skins (this will be easy to do as the garlic is well cooked).  

Add all the roasted cloves to the onions, thyme and other garlic and cook gently for a couple of mins.   

Add your stock – go for about 850mls – and let all this cook for about 10-15 mins.  If you want to add cinnamon, now is the time. 

Get your blender out (remember to remove the cinnamon if you added it);  either a liquidiser or hand-held blender and whizz up your soup until it is all-of-a-piece.  Return to a gentle simmer until ready to eat

To Serve

Chop up some fresh thyme (a few tiny leaves as garnish) and pop in the middle of your soup when it’s in a bowl.  Add some delicious extra-virgin olive oil (and you can use garlic oil too if preferred) and enjoy.

This really is the most delicious soup (if you like garlic!) and is super-good for you!