Garlic soup with olive herb oil

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 bulb(s) garlic, fresh
• 600 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 100 g celeriac
• ½ onion(s), white
• 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme, fresh
• 1.3 liters of vegetable stock or vegetable broth
• 100 g crème fraîche
• some nutmeg, freshly grated
• n. B. Sea salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 100 ml olive oil, virgin
• 2 sprigs of thyme, fresh
• ½ bunch parsley, flat, with the stems
• 1 tsp peppercorns, green, pickled

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

In the French style in Fiefhusen adaptation

Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Set one clove aside for later. Roughly dice the peeled potatoes and the cleaned celery. Roughly dice the cleaned onion. Now add everything to the vegetable stock/broth in a wide saucepan. Strip the thyme leaves from the sprig and add them to the pan. Use a knife or scissors to cut several times along the leaf ribs up to the midrib in the bay leaf to release more of the essential oil. Bring the contents of the pan to a rolling boil, then simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes. While the cooking is taking a break, add the herb oil: Wash the parsley, spin off the water, and roughly chop it, including the stalks. The stalks are important because they contain most of the flavor! Strip the remaining thyme leaves from the sprig and roughly chop the last garlic clove. Now add everything to a mixing bowl or blender. Heat the olive oil slightly and add it. Now puree thoroughly in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside at room temperature. Once the soup is done cooking, remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to thoroughly puree the contents of the pot with the crème fraîche. The consistency of the soup can vary depending on the potato variety and the starch content. If it’s too thick, the potato had too much starch; if it’s too thin, it has too little. First, adjust it to the desired consistency by adding a little broth or additional cornstarch (and briefly bringing to a boil). Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve in warmed soup bowls and spoon the herb oil evenly over the soup. A baguette goes well with it, or you can also serve it briefly fried in olive oil in a pan. And a dry white wine, of course. The herb oil will easily keep in the refrigerator for several days if you have any leftovers. It can’t hurt to use very good products, because the better the raw material, the better the end product!