As a future medical practitioner. I feel that it is my sworn duty to inform you of any and all real and present dangers to your health. Some might even say I took some kind of oath or something.

Consequently.

It has been brought to my attention that a craze has swept the nation. Regarding a certain. “Fictional“. Book series.


Normally. I don’t get involved in such things.

But this one was an especial cause for concern. Namely because behind every piece of. “Fiction“. There is a smidgen of truth.

Sometimes that smidgen is inconsequential. And sometimes it means the difference between life and death. Not to be a rabble-rouser or anything. But this is one of the those times.
The series of which I speak is one that you may be familiar with. (Or not. If, for instance. You live in a black hole. In which case this probably doesn’t apply to you. Or. Better yet. In which case. Have a bowl of this soup. And when I say “garlic” soup. I really mean no garlic at all whatsover. So have two bowls. For lunch. While sitting outside. On a really really sunny day. I dare you.)

The Twilight Saga. By Stephanie Meyers.

It’s about a girl who stumbles upon this coven of vampires and then proceeds to fall in love with one of them. Or so I hear. (I actually haven’t read it. I don’t do fads. Nor am I a prepubescent girl. Nor do I have enough free time to do anything besides cook and think of ridiculous things to say to keep you entertained. So there you go.)
Like I said. “Fiction“. (That’s what they want us to believe.) Maybe.

But maybe not.

As such. The FDA and NIH have worked together to come up with a set of guidelines and protocols. That enumerates the ways in which you can protect yourself from the potentially imminent vampire invasion.

The first of which is to make this roasted garlic soup. And serve it to just about anyone who enters your home.

Your husband. Your children. Your best friend. Definitely your hermit of a next door neighbor who lives alone with her ten cats. And who you’re pretty sure you’ve never seen in broad daylight.

No one is above suspicion.

And while you’re at it. Buy a copy of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day. And make this cherry black pepper focaccia. To throw them off the scent. And also just because it tastes. Really. Good. Besides. With all of this roasted garlic soup you’ll be eating. You’ll need something to clear away the garlic breath.
Roasted Garlic Soup
Serves 4, adapted from How To Cook Everything

8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
4 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
salt and pepper to taste
chives

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Fry the whole garlic cloves until they are a golden shade of brown. Add the cumin and saute for 1 minute. Remove the garlic cloves.

2. Add the broth to the pot. Simmer for five minutes. Chop the garlic and add it back to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chives.

This is my submission to this week’s IHCC, the theme of which is Garlic Breath! I am also submitting the soup to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays. The focaccia has been yeastspotted (unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe due to copyright issues. But you should definitely pick up a copy of the cookbook!). And will be featured in the next HBinFive round-up over at Big Black Dog on June 1st!

Now for a few administrative details. Regional Recipes: Vietnam. Your entries are due by June 1st! Please email them to me at [email protected].

And check out my guest post over at Happiness in Health! It is one of my absolute favorite blogs! (Love you Jessie…hope you’re having fun in China!)

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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91 Responses to Bittman’s Roasted Garlic Soup with Cherry Black Pepper Focaccia

  1. I love garlic breath! It happens a lot here, we love garlic. The soup looks awesome, the bread? Wow. Love the big crystals of sugar, very nice photos!

  2. I’ve made garlic soup once and loved it. This looks fantastic and I know Eric would just go crazy for it.

    Did you use chicken or veggie stock? Any particular brand of veggie stock you’d recommend?

  3. Garlic! A soup made with roasted garlic must taste heavenly! Love the bread too.

  4. Simply Life says:

    oh my gosh, that soup and bread look amazing!

  5. Ty'sMommy says:

    Ok, THANK YOU!!! I refuse to read those books, the very idea of them and their fanatical popularity just aggravates me.
    *steps down off soapbox*
    Now, while the soup looks yummy….its that gorgeous focaccia that’s got my attention! How wonderful!

  6. the recipes you fine never cease to amazing me. That foccacia looks incredible, and I can tell I’ll be obsessed with the cherry-pepper combo for a while now. You may just see it pop up on my blog sometime soon…

  7. Lea Ann says:

    That foccacia looks and sounds wonderful. I’m a True Blood fan myself. 🙂

  8. Pam says:

    Thank goodness I saw this just in time before the vampire invasion!!! The soup and bread sounds amazingly delicious and what can be better than garlic. I will be trying the soup and thanks for saving me! 😉

  9. Suman Singh says:

    WOW…the soup and bread looks amazing..love to have that…thanks for sharing this!

  10. Shannon says:

    wow, that soup sounds phenomenal, and that focaccia! what an interesting combo 🙂

  11. Katerina says:

    I love roasted garlic and I am sure that apart from a lovely dish, this is a powerful weapon against any blood “sucker”

  12. The bread has come out lovely…hope to find the recipe soon..and can imagine the taste of garlic soup…heavenly huhhhh..

  13. I love the look of the focaccia and yes, I will follow all your FDA-NIH recommended garlic soup to keep the vampires away! 🙂

  14. Tasha says:

    The soup sounds wonderful and the bread is so pretty (and I’m sure equally delicious!)

  15. elra says:

    Inviting combination of flavor for foccacia.

  16. love the foccacia i will miss this braid and yummy soup you would fit in well here in Turkey lol

  17. Kelsey says:

    thank you for your recommendation and advice, and yes, since you will be a future medical practitioner, its only feasible to follow said advice…otherwise what kind of future patient would i be? <3

    u made foccacia BEAUTIFUL! i would love to put an egg salad in there with fresh spinach.. im totally thinking it would be good with cream cheese too!!

    i just love the prettiness of it <3

    btw checked out the guest post, actually when i found out it was you I WAS SO EXCITED! guacamole=love

    xoxo

  18. Pam says:

    The soup is so simple yet sounds AMAZING (plus it will keep the vampires away right?). I am also digging the foccacia… it looks beautiful and delicious.

  19. Garlic gives such a nice flavour to any dishes and this soup must be really good as well…and foccacia too looks delicious…

  20. Kris says:

    Your photos are always so amazing! What camera? Shed your lighting secrets… ;o)

    ps… Top Chef, D.C., June 16th! Be there! lol

  21. Yasmeen says:

    Scrumptious meal,I won’t hesitate to have 2 bowls but not before I take beano, to reduce intense garlicky after effects :D.

  22. Raina says:

    Anything that has garlic in it has to be good as far as I am concerned. I have to buy that bread book. Everything you have made from it sounds amazing. I have to confess that I loved the Twilight series. I know I am way too old to say that, but my teenage nephew was reading it and kept telling me about the story. I read it and was hooked.

  23. Stella says:

    Ooh, vegan! You know I like that. And I love the idea of cherries on focaccia…
    P.S.-I know how to ward off vampire invasions with success (smile)!

  24. Love the post.. I wonder if it is true what they say about two people who eat garlic together can’t detect it on the other.. but if only one has it , the other partner is sure to flee. And the focaccia.. YUM!! I’m going to have to check out the book Yeastspotted.. or just play with the recipes I have. But what an awesome combo of cherries and black pepper!

  25. Mo Diva says:

    those are gorgeous and delicious… man it is all about the bread for me!

    but im sad you never read the twilight saga. My mother and i were glued to our books. No one could call if we were reading. it was a nice escape. But I understand if its not y our thing… its jstu a really good story!

  26. Cheri says:

    That cherry black pepper focaccia is so creative! I would never have thought of that combination but I am intrigued!

  27. so love garlic soup…..there was this little place in truckee california that had the best! happy thursday!

  28. That focaccia is amazing and the picture too.

  29. Lori says:

    I have this cookbook and completely missed this recipe. The focaccia looks wonderful! I’m going to look it up and give it a try.

  30. msmeanie says:

    OK, I must officially live in a hole, because I haven’t heard of this series. But vampires or no vampires, I would try this soup any day. It seriously sounds so delicious. And I love this focaccia recipe. I usually make a really simple focaccia with just cheese, herbs, and some onions, but cherry black pepper?? Ohmygoodness, that sounds frikkin awesome!

  31. girlichef says:

    I love me some garlicky soup! Did you know that the fictional vampires in that series aren’t actually adverse to garlic? It’s true…those are some out of the ordinary bloodsuckers. I’d still eat it even if they were, though…I’ll stick with the shapeshifters 😉

  32. Erica says:

    Oh, I love this! I have tried a couple of recipes for this soup that I was not pleased with so will be trying yours. Thanks!

  33. RamblingTart says:

    Oh my gosh, Joanne!! That focaccia is the most gorgeous, delicious thing I’ve seen in ages!!! WOW!! I’m so inspired and delighted. Wow. 🙂 Well done!!!

  34. Amy says:

    *Raises hand* Yes, I live under a rock. I know nothing about this book. Although I’m certain if Haley was in high school, I would hear about nothing else. I also didn’t even know who Justin Bieber was until a week ago.

    Bring on the garlic! The more, the better.

  35. Cristie says:

    The cherry bread really looks wonderful, perfect actually! I haven’t read that series either, but I did watch the first movie on TV. I’m left behind somewhere wondering why it has taken over the world . . .

  36. Esi says:

    I’ve done garlic soup, but roasted garlic sounds even better. That bread sounds really good too!

  37. That cherry focaccia looks amazing! I only made it through one of the Twilight books…didn’t like it enough to read the others.

  38. Mari says:

    Ha I have to tell my sis that you never read the twilight series…she is OBSESSED with it lol

    That soup looks delish…but that bread stole my heart…

  39. Lori says:

    That is just beautiful. I love the colors here. I bet the taste was fresh and inviting.

  40. kathy says:

    I have not read any of these books also. I am putting my foot down, there is no way I will read anything about vampires however good, just not my interest. On the other hand I love garlic and this soup. I had roasted garlic soup before and LOVE it. But what interest me is this focaccia… is it with cherries?

    http://polwig.com

  41. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I can smell that garlic soup aroma and beautiful baked bread..focaccia!!! My DD is crazy about Twilight and HP…

  42. Karen says:

    I’ve always wanted to try garlic soup… gonna have to do that! The foccacia looks amazing! Do you remember The Frugal Gourmet? No, of course you don’t – you’re too young. Well, he used to cook with garlic and always said (re garlic breath) “If your lover doesn’t like garlic, it’s time to get another lover!” LOL

  43. Mary says:

    Both recipes today are marvelous. I haven’t read any of the Twilight books but I’ll never understand what power garlic has over vampires:-). I think it’s great

  44. oh and how pretty is that foccacia…so beautiful!

  45. I love the roasted garlic soup! And the bread is gorgeous. I can’t take my eyes off it!

  46. I’m so glad you posted this delicious recipe just in case of a potentially imminent vampire invasion.

  47. This bread sounds amazingly delicious and I love all things garlic, mostly because it’s yummy but, not gonna lie, also because it wards off vampires and hot boys who are grossly overrated anyhow. Gorgeous pictures!

  48. Focaccia with a bowl of soup,,woow!!! perfect dinner menu dear…soup with garlic flavour sounds great Jo, i like garlic in my recipes good for health too.Nice soup n bread recipe.

  49. Debinhawaii says:

    The soup and the bread both look delicious. I’d eat it vampires or not. 😉

    Thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays.

  50. grace says:

    the soup sounds interesting, but i fear i’d be tasting it for days afterward, which is not so grand. but hey–what a tremendous bread. is that red onion? whatever it is, when combined with the pretty cherries and sprinkles of pepper, you end up with a stunning and undoubtedly delicious creation. twilight shmilight, i say. 🙂

  51. I love the books but not so much the movies. Great recipe, my hubs would love this! He’s a huge fan of garlic!

  52. Kim says:

    Here’s a cute story for ya. I also rallied against the Twilight series until my mother-in-law (who is almost 70) read the entire series in about 2 days. She told me that she enjoyed it so much that she couldn’t put it down. She convinced me to read it and I loved it too;-) I didn’t care for the movies, but the books were great (if you like the whole vampire thing). My mother-in-law is a funny lady.
    Moving on…your garlic soup looks yummy. I think I could probably drink it! And, the cherry foccacia…out of this world. I think it looks like one of the best hbin5’s yet.
    Have a great weekend!

  53. Roasted garlic Soup! Sounds too delicious…my hubby would go crazy for this bowl of soup 🙂

  54. Biren says:

    The garlic soup must be delicious with roasted garlic. Love the cherry focaccia! Looks absolutely amazing!

  55. I keep hearing about this bread cookbook, sounds amazing and your bread is lookin’ great!

  56. You do entertain us with your stories and recipes.

    I wish my hubby would eat garlic. I love that soup but can’t make it unless, I eat it all up, myself…….uh, maybe, I should.

  57. Love the garlic soup. Very creative cheery black pepper focaccia. Great job. On to check your guesty!

    Cheers!

  58. I really want Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day! I’m terrible at making bread rise, but if it really is only five minutes a day, I can’t screw it up, right? The foccacia sounds wonderful — never would have thought of that combo. Being from MI, I have a soft spot for cherries. Fresh cherries straight from the farm in Northern MI in July…that’s the definition of heaven. I have a secret baking goal of coming up with a yummy, soft cherry dark chocolate cookie thus summer.

    Happy weekend! Give yourself a break from schoolwork, you need it. 🙂

  59. I’m hoping to make the foccacia this weekend. Yours looks beautiful along with that soup! I can’t wait for the season premiere of True Bloom. I may have to whip of a batch of garlic soup, just to play it safe 😉

  60. Julie says:

    i don’t want to keep the vampires away..

    should i still make it..

    have a fun fun fun fun fun holiday weekend!! i hope i see something that is red white and blue next week 😉

  61. teresa says:

    okay, i’ll admit it, i read twighlight. twice. but i’ll also admit that the more time goes on, the more insufferable i find the whole series, especially now that the movies are coming out.

    this looks like the perfect way to keep the vampires at bay, i love anything iwth garlic in it, yummy!

  62. Pierce says:

    Good one….I am glad you mentioned the book about bread making,. I asked fro it from the libray and am finally down to #4 opn the waiting list. I want to see it before buying. Looks wonderful though.

  63. Martha (MM) says:

    Ooohhh YUM! I popped over to tell you I miss you and of course I find something not only delicious but heavenly! You totally rock Joanne! I hope to be back from my blog break sometime in the near future. Hope all is well in your world *hugs*

  64. cherry black pepper focaccia and roasted garlic soup! Awesome! I would have loved to have that for dinner tonight! What kind of cherries did you use for the focaccia?

  65. Carolyn Jung says:

    That focaccia looks wicked good. One of my all-time favorite focaccias is this grape one from Terra Breads in Vancouver, BC. Yours with cherries just might beat that one.

  66. Gulmohar says:

    Awesome combo..comforting soup and focaccia looks superb..
    Will miss you all while I am away. Will catch up with you once I’m back. Enjoy the summer and adieu !!

  67. Cynthia says:

    Is it just me or do you love Bittman? It seems like so many of your recipes are from his books…I think this is a sign that I should probably read his book soon! The cherry and black pepper focaccia sounds amazing! Does this taste at all similar to a grape focaccia? As for the whole twilight series I am shocked at how popular it’s gotten considering that it is from the point of a pubescent girl…but then again I guess inside each one of us lurks a pubescent girl 😉

  68. katiez says:

    I once made lamb with roasted garlic that caused my entire family (that did not eat the garlic part) to shun me for 2 days….
    Written from the (apparently) Black Hole that is the French Countryside)

  69. MC says:

    Roasted garlic soup, yum! The foccacia looks marvelous. Re: the copyright issue. Did the authors actually refuse to allow you to publish the recipe? That’s too bad. I thought it was okay to post a recipe as long as you gave credit to the author. I remember Susan from Wild Yeast did a post on the topic a while ago.

  70. ejm says:

    I must live in a black hole. (Is the phrase “I don’t drink [dramatic pause] wine” featured?) Thank you for the garlic soup recipe – I love 40 clove garlic chicken so garlic soup must be wonderful as well.

    And rats. I actually came here for the focaccia recipe. From what I understand about copyright on recipes, the ingredients do not fall under the copyright and can be freely listed. I gather that it is the instructions on how to put the ingredients together that cannot be published without permission.

    Can you give a hint? Did you put the black pepper right into the dough or was it with the cherries on top? And are those onions I see with the cherries?

    -Elizabeth

  71. i was curious to get the focaccia recipe but ugh.. but really copyright issues even if you put their link? but i’ll take comfort in knowing that you have the recipe for the garlic soup and that’s easy to make! I’ll just make sure Edward won’t be around hahah!

  72. Apu says:

    Joanne! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I look forward to your entry for the Pomegranate food event.

  73. LOL, I had to chuckle over this. Does the fact I liked the Twilight series mean I’m a teen again? hmmm. 😉

    Love the garlic soup and really, really love your focaccia!

  74. Claudia says:

    What a fantastic combination – that soup! and that bread! It’s not a sweet bread, right? Are the crystals salt on it?

  75. I saw your photo on TasteSpotting and had to come and take a look. Wow! I’m glad I did. Your website is fantastic.

  76. Chris says:

    Great garlic soup but problem is I didn’t learn my vampire facts and practices from a fictional book like Twilight. I learned them from the documentary Lost Boys.

    And in Lost Boys, the head vampire liked garlic when Corey Haim sneaked a ton of raw garlic in his spaghetti in lieu of parmesan, lol.

  77. Elizabeth says:

    I love garlic soup. I can only imagine what I’d think of roasted garlic soup.

  78. Denny says:

    I had bookmarked this recipe for IHCC, but missed out and made garlicky mashed potatoes instead. I love the soup…and your post.

  79. Femalechef says:

    Thanks for the soup recipe!!! Great job on the bread…………

  80. Shirley says:

    Simply love the flavour of roasted garlic in a soup!

  81. MM says:

    One word: Yum.

    Roasted garlic is THE BEST! (I can’t ever limit myself to just one word.)

  82. Aparna says:

    YOur focaccia looks gorgeous, with the bits of cherries looking like red rubies! 🙂

    I was brought out of that black hole by my daughter. Now can knowledgeably nod my head during Twilight discussions! LOL

  83. Lynda says:

    Absolutely beautiful! Yum! And the garlic soup sounds great. There is never too much garlic. Love, love,love it!

  84. Old Pop says:

    Great Bread. Thanks for the garlic prophylaxis tip.

  85. Beautiful photo and yummy looking focaccia. I haven’t gotten to this one yet, but I’m working on it. Delicious!

  86. Elwood says:

    I guess I’ll never have to worry about vamps. I love garlic! Your photos are always amazing. The soup sounds delish. I loved making and eating the focaccia.

  87. Old Pop says:

    I noticed from some of your comments to the other HB in 5 posts that your dough is too wet. Do you weigh it? I think that has helped mine, though it is still kind of wet by the end of its useful life.

  88. Aww no recipe for the focaccia?? It looks so yummy! I love the idea of combining black pepper and cherries. I was anti-Twilight for a long time and like you I tend to feel the need to stay away from fads like that, but then I read them and they are REALLY good. I know the story line sounds ridiculous though.

  89. Bonnie says:

    The cherry focaccia looks wonderful. I skipped this one and now wish I had made it. I’ll have to go back when I get time. I love garlice, is that just wrong>

  90. Carolyn™ says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  91. Carolyn™ says:

    I think it all looks great. Can wait to be home alone and have the garlic soup 🙂

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