Recipe: Roasted Garlic and Bean Soup with Rosemary

Roasted Garlic and Bean Soup With Rosemary
Yield: 4 servings

2 cups dried white navy beans
Water to cover (plus a pinch of baking soda if your water is "hard")

1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled & sliced thinly
2 leeks, washed & cut in slices (white part only)
1 carrot, peeled & sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt

2 heads of garlic - roasted until paste stage is reached
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

Garnish: fresh minced parsley and grating of whole nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Night before making soup: sort through the navy beans - removing small stones & shriveled beans and then put in a saucepan with water to cover by 2". Let soak overnight.

Next day: Drain the beans, rinse and again cover with water by 1" and add the baking soda if you have hard water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil (watch out for foaming over), then lower heat to low and cook - uncovered - until the beans are soft, adding more water if necessary. Drain and shake gently in colander

Into a heavy duty stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat, adding the canola oil. When hot, but not smoking, add the onions, leeks and carrots. Cook - stirring frequently - until the onions are browned. Then add the chicken stock and beans and cook - over medium-low heat - for 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and let cool.

During Step #2, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and roast the 2 heads of garlic (hard-neck garlic - if you can find it) in a foil packet with a tsp of olive oil poured over each head. Put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for 50 minutes.

The cloves should be roasted to the point that when squeezed the garlic oozes out in paste form. Squeeze the paste out of each clove and put in with the cooled soup. Stir. then blend the soup in small batches, adding the heavy cream to make the desired thickness.

Taste for salt & pepper and add. Then add the fresh rosemary leaves and re-heat gently - stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Bring it up to a simmer before serving in heated bowls.

Garnish: grating of whole nutmeg and fresh minced parsley mixed with some fresh minced rosemary leaves