Soups are important in winter, as a result of they’re warming, nourishing and infrequently costly. Spanish white soup is extra typically served chilled in summer time, but it surely will also be nice cold-weather consolation meals. The garlic is roasted, and is a totally totally different creature from recent garlic, as a result of the flavour is tamed and softened to a creamy richness (I’ve even been identified to eat it unfold on toast.) Jerusalem artichokes, in the meantime, aren’t round for lengthy, so use them when you can. When fried, as right here, they work brilliantly in a migas with some earthy mushrooms. Like many rural Spanish dishes, migas was developed out of arduous instances and the necessity to not waste something, and are an effective way to create an attractive, crunchy crumb seasoning; should you’re feeling adventurous, jazz them up by including some crisp fried chorizo or morcilla, too.
White roast garlic and almond soup with crisp jerusalem artichoke and mushroom migas
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 1 hr
Serves 4
2 entire garlic bulbs, tops sliced off
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
150g roasted almonds, Marcona for choice
1 banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp smoked candy pimentón
800ml vegetable or rooster inventory
1 x 400g tin white beans (haricots or cannellini, say), drained and rinsed
300ml entire milk
Further-virgin olive oil, to serve
For the migas
250ml olive oil
200g jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and minimize into skinny rounds
150g combined mushrooms, sliced or torn into small items
100g stale white bread, torn into small crumbs
1 small handful recent thyme leaves
Warmth the oven to 170C (150C fan)/325F/gasoline 3. Put the garlic in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with the oil, season and roast for 20-Half-hour, till actually tender. Take away and, as soon as it’s cool sufficient to deal with, squeeze out the roast garlic flesh from the papery skins and right into a bowl.
In the meantime, warmth the oil for the migas to medium-high, add the sliced jerusalem artichokes and cook dinner, stirring, for 18-20 minutes, till tender and solely frivolously colored. Drain off all however three or 4 tablespoons of the oil (save the oil for later), flip the warmth up excessive and fry the artichokes till golden and crisp. Tip out on to a plate lined with kitchen towel to empty and season with sea salt.
Put the mushrooms in the identical pan with a tablespoon or two extra oil. Fry, stirring, on a excessive warmth till golden and crisp, then switch to the jerusalem artichoke plate. Pour one other tablespoon of oil into the pan, add the bread and thyme, and fry till golden and crisp. Return the artichokes and mushrooms to the pan, combine properly, season to style and put aside.
Blitz the roast almonds to a wonderful crumb in a meals processor. Warmth a tablespoon of the reserved artichoke oil in a big pan, then gently sweat the shallot for 5 minutes, till delicate and frivolously golden. Add the pimentón, roast garlic flesh and almond meal, and cook dinner, stirring, for a minute. Pour within the inventory, season generously and go away to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans and milk, cook dinner for an extra 5 minutes, then use a hand-blender to blitz the combo till it’s actually clean.
Ladle into bowls and serve topped with the jerusalem artichoke and mushroom migas, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a few freshly cracked black pepper.
