Yield: Serves 6 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours
While you could certainly enjoy this for dinner, I love making a batch and packing it up in a thermos to bring to work. It’s not too messy, and it’s easy to dunk a piece of crusty bread in if you have extra lying around the kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
1 head garlic
5 teaspoons olive oil
9 cups thinly sliced sweet onions
2½ cups sliced leeks, rinsed well
1 large shallot, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups heavy cream
Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Remove the papery outer skin from the garlic head, leaving the cloves intact. Cut ¼ inch off the top of the head of the garlic, exposing the cloves, and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Wrap in foil. Roast for 45 minutes.
3. Let cool slightly. Gently squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the papery skins into a small bowl and set aside.
4. While the garlic roasts, in a large pot, heat the remaining 3 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, and shallot and cook, stirring often, for 30 minutes.
5. Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, the thyme, and the sage. Cook, stirring often so the onions do not burn, for 30 minutes, until the onions are a dark golden color.
6. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Combine the roasted garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the cooked onion mixture in a blender. Puree until smooth.
8. Pour the pureed onion mixture back into the pot and add the cream. Simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until heated.
9. Ladle into bowls, garnish with thyme leaves, and serve.