CARAMELIZED ONION AND ROASTED GARLIC BISQUE

Caramelized Onion Roasted Garlic Bisque
Serves 6

Caramelized Onion Roasted Garlic Bisque: This is one of our favorite soups around my house. It's warm and comforting, especially on those cold winter nights. It's rich and creamy. It's filled with veggies. It's fairly light on calories for the flavor punch that it packs.

1 large whole garlic head
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided use
9 cups (about 4 large) thinly sliced sweet onions
2 ½ cups (about 2 medium) sliced leeks
1 teaspoon salt, divided use
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups milk
Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper for garnish


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Remove papery outer skin from the garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Rub 1 ½ teaspoons oil on garlicky head, and wrap it in foil. Bake for 1 hour; let cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves, and peel the skin off of the cloves. Place the garlic cloves in a small dish and set aside.
While the garlic roasts, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and leek, and cook 30 minutes, stirring often. Add a small amount of water if the onion starts to cook too fast. Add ½ teaspoon salt and thyme. Cook an additional 30 minutes or until onion is dark and golden in color, stirring occasionally, adding a small amount of water if the onion starts to cook too fast.
Stir the flour into the onion mixture and cook 1 minute. Add wine and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
Place the roasted garlic in the bowl of a blender, add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cooked onion mixture, and process until smooth. This may need to be done in two batches depending on the size of your blender.
Pour the blended onion mixture back to the large saucepan, and add milk; simmer 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and ground black pepper if desired.