Chilled Garlic Soup

This is a simple soup that I have tried from the book 'Under the Tuscan Sun'.The easiest one was Basil -Mint Sorbet.This one also belongs to the summer recipes and is a simple fuss free recipe that comes together quickly.

Ingredients:
Garlic Cloves: 17+

Olive oil: 2 tsp
Onion: 1 medium chopped finely
Potatoes: 1 medium

Water/Stock: 1 cup +

Red Chilli Flakes (optional)
Thyme : fresh or fried
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Use as many garlic cloves as you like and leave them whole.Cook the potatoes and peel and cube them.Finely chop the onions.

Heat olive oil in a pan,add onions and saute till transluscent.Add garlic and on low heat cook them for a few minutes.Make sure they do not get browned as the soup may turn bitter.Add the stock,cubed potatoes,little salt,pepper,chilli flakes(optional,its my addition and not in the original recipe) and thyme and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to low and then let it cook for around 15 minutes till the flavours blend .

Remove from heat and cool slightly.Blend in a blender to a fine paste and return to heat.Warm through adding more stock/water as needed to adjust the consistency.Adjust the seasonings and serve in bowls with your choice of accompaniments.I served it with Cheddar crisps.

The first taste was like just an ordinary soup with no extra special taste of garlic.I was wondering about it as I had added around 17 cloves of garlic.Then I decided to chill the soup as per the recipe and again reluctanlty tried it the next day again with fresh crisps. The taste was great and obviously garlicky. May be the flavours intensified as the time passed.But still if you are a garlicky person add more garlic as you like.I like garlic but do not overuse it.I want it to be hidden in a dish just adding its flavour to the overall dish and it was the first time I had used as much as 17 cloves.

Anyway the soup is onway to Weekend Wokking: Garlic,hosted at Javaholic,an event by Wandering Chopsticks.

Cheddar Crisps

"Can you Keep a Secret ? " by Sophie Kinsella follows the same manner of her shopaholic series. I can assure you that you won't keep the book down.Even if you turn pages with a derision for such books you just cannot ignore the book.Well,I loved it.It is not a serious life changing book but simply a timepass book with revenge,love,dreams etc and while reading through we get a 'deja vu' feeling if you have read the shopaholic series but its a laugh riot and we feel refreshed which is a must for any book.

The book tells us about Emma Corrigan who is an assistant marketing executive and wants to make it big in the Panther Corporation -or rather a Marketing Executive in the company.She wants to stick to the job as she wants her family to know that she is not a disappointment or one who leaves things half done or loses interest midway and simply drifts through life.She wants to prove a point to her cousin who being orphan has been her family's pet.She has several such small disappointments and fears which she has not told anyone including her best friend.But on a flight -she is scared of flying - she pours her heart out to a stranger during turbulence and what do you know next ? He's her Boss or rather the owner of her company !!.Well, read the book to know more,its my secret. :D

As for food references there were odd example of crisps and quiches and roasted nuts (which were very expensive) and coffee.One of the complaints /secret she had was the office coffee tasted yuck.And the first thing the owner did was change the vending machine.I wish I had such a boss (well,its not a secret anymore that I gave up working along time back,but whats in a wish?)

Anyway I went for the easiest one the cheese crisps or rather the Cheddar Cheese crisps.No flour,no mixing or buttering,just grate and bake and eat.

Ingredients:

Cheddar Cheese :grated 1 cup

Pepper: optional as per taste

Preparation:

Grate the cheese in a bowl .

Take a rounded table spoon of cheese and place it in a parchment lined baking sheet.Spread with our fingers into a thin circle. Repeat with the remaining cheese and leave a gap of few inches between each round as it will expand on baking.

Sprinkle with pepper on these rounds if required.Else you can leave it plain or add other spices intead of pepper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 4 minutes onwards till the cheese rounds start browning.Take it out of the oven let it cool on the baking sheet and then slowly with a pancake turner peel them off the parchment and onto a paper towel.

Serve them with dips or with soups.I served it with chilled garlic soup.

The exact time depends on the oven and how thin you have made the rounds.Start with just 4 to 6 crisps so that you can get an idea of the baking time.The crisps harden as they cool so leave them in the baking sheet itself.

Lets see what other have cooked for Emma and Sophie?