Method

Method

Turn the oven on to medium high.  Cut the top section off the whole head of garlic exposing the cloves.  Place on a small piece of tin foil with the exposed section facing up and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the head.  Wrap loosely in the tin foil and place in the oven.  Place the peas in a large pan and just cover with boiling stock (or boiling water and add two stock cubes).

Turn the heat down until the liquid just bubbles at the edges, add the onion and simmer the peas gently for about 45 minutes until they are really tender.  Do not let them boil dry or reduce the liquid too much as they will be difficult to blend.  If you do find there is not enough liquid then add a little more stock as the peas are cooking (not too much, you can always add more later but can’t take it out!).  Remove the head of garlic from the oven and let it cool for 15 mins.  Squeeze the garlic from the head into the soup.

Blend the soup until smooth and allow to simmer a while longer to bring out the flavour of the roasted garlic.  Check the seasoning and consistency.  The soup at this stage may be a little thick (add a bit more stock) BUT NOT too thin.  Place a lid on the pan and put in a cool place. 

Serving

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives and/or paprika for colour.

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