Roasted garlic soup with nduja swirl

For the last couple of months, ever since the weather started to warm up and the foody universe started to bring forth a multitude of wild garlic recipes, I have had something in mind. Another attempt at garlic soup, but this one given a springtime lift with a swirl of fresh wild garlic puree and the contrasting porky chilli kick of nduja.

Alas, it was not to be.

I had planned an assignation with a garlic pusher, but through a miscommunication didn't manage to meet up with him. Then I bought, at terrible price, a small plastic punnet of the precious leaves. When I opened the punnet to make the puree I discovered that the gastropods on board had taken full advantage of their situation - there was more slug than leaf and what leaves were there were too damaged to use.

My springtime garlic soup became an anytime garlic soup.

Aside from the nduja, the only ingredient that may be a little hard to find is the goats double cream. This is a new discovery for me, and if you are a goats cheese naysayer then you will not like it but for those of us who love that goaty tang, this cream adds a little extra savour and complexity to the mellow garlic soup.

Roasted garlic soup with nduja swirl (serves 2-4 - it's very rich)

3 large garlic bulbs
1 onion, chopped
A knob of butter
4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
250ml dry white wine
250ml chicken stock
100ml goats double cream
salt, pepper and nutmeg
50g nduja

Preheat the oven to 180C. Wrap the heads of garlic in foil and bake for 45–50 minutes, then leave to cool.


Saute the onion in the butter in a medium saucepan until translucent. Squeeze the flesh out of the garlic cloves into the pan. Add the potatoes, wine and stock, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes are soft, blend the soup until smooth before adding the cream and seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Warm the nduja until it is soft and runny (I do this in the microwave). Pour the soup into bowls, add blobs of the nduja and give it a bit of a swirl.

 My soup is going to Deb for Souper (soup, salad & sammie) Sunday - she has a good year-round appreciation for soups!