Four allia soup

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Garlic ready for roasting

This is a recipe based on French onion soup, but uses four types of the 'Allium' family and has cider as the alohoic liquid rather than wine and/or brandy. Also I have used a good cheese to sprinkle on top.

Ingredients

• 4 bulbs garlic, whole
• Olive oil
• 2 large onions, coarsely sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 40 g butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Large pinch of sugar
• Bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 extremely fat leek or 2 medium ones, sliced thickly and washed thoroughly
• 40 g flour
• 1.85 litres boiling vegetable stock
• 150 ml dry cider
• 225 g Single Gloucester cheese, grated

Mise en place

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.

Method

1. Keeping the bulbs intact, slice off the tops so that the flesh of each clove is exposed, and place in foil and put into a baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with olive oil and loosely enclose in the foil.
3. Bake for about an hour on a low shelf of the oven.
4. In the meantime, place the onions in a large pan on a lowish heat, with the tablespoon olive oil and the butter.
5. Cover and allow to stew for 15 minutes.
6. Add the salt and sugar, and allow to caramelise slightly.
7. Add the spring onions and the leeks and cook very gently, uncovered for about 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into a bowl.
9. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes.
10. Add the garlic, stock and the cider and simmer for a further 40 minutes.
11. Serve in bowls with the cheese sprinkled on the top.