This Creamy Collard Greens and Roasted Garlic Soup is a hearty soup with the addition of potatoes and cream. It takes about an hour and requires only an emersion blender, an oven, and a stove. It makes for a completely satisfying entrée with a little bread or toast as a side. I garnished it here with a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dusting of paprika.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of medium-starch potatoes, like Red or Yukon Gold, roughly chopped
- 1 pound of carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 pound of collard greens, washed well, and roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound of asparagus
- 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bulb of garlic, roasted
- 1 cup cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350. Slice bulb of garlic in half into a cross-section, rub with olive oil, salt & pepper, and place into the hot oven for about 30 minutes until it browns lightly. While that is roasting, wash and chop all your vegetables. Ensure the greens get a good soak, they tend to have a lot of grit on them when you get them from the store.
Bring a large pot to medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the carrots, asparagus, and onions, salt & pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, then turn the temperature down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the potatoes until they're soft and yield easily to being pricked with a knife, about 15-20 minutes.
Once you have removed the roasted garlic from the oven, squeeze it so that the cloves slide out. They should have the consistency of pudding at this point and should slide out easily. Drop them into the pot along with the collard greens and bring back to a boil, hold them at a boil for 5 minutes.
Once the greens have had time to soften, take the pot off the heat and blend thoroughly with an emersion/stick blender, or in batches in a traditional blender. Once everything is blended, taste to see if you need more salt & pepper, and add the cream. Mix well.
Serve hot and garnish with sour cream and/or a little olive oil, and a sprinkle of paprika. Enjoy.