Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 white onion, jullianed
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 5-7 carrots (width dependant), peeled and chopped
  • 5-6 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cartons chicken stock (32 oz cartons)
  • 1 carton vegetable stock (32 oz)
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 3/4 teaspoon thyme (ground)
  • 3/4 teaspoon white pepper (ground)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger OR 2 inches of pealed fresh ginger, split into quarters
  • 1 2.5-3 lb rotisserie chicken, deboned, shredded

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F, line a cookie sheet with foil.
  • Toss your chopped carrots and celery in the 1/2 cup olive oil, black pepper and salt.
  • Cut the top off the bulb of garlic so that you expose the cloves, drizzle a little olive oil over the cut top and wrap with foil, leaving a little room to it allow room to steam while it roasts.
  • Put your bulb pouch in the middle of your sheet pan, single layer your carrots and celery around it.
  • Put this in your oven.
  • Roast the veg for 35 minutes.
  • While the veg roasts, melt your butter in a large thick bottomed pan (a soup kettle works best), once melted and simmering add your onions.
  • Infuse your butter with the onions for 5-8 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the flour slowly, allowing it to combine between additions.
  • Once your rue starts to deepen in color, roughly 10-15 minutes, add your first carton of stock.
  • Mix well, then add the rest of the stock.
  • Mix your cream of celery with 3 cups water, then add to the stock mixture.
  • Add 5 bay leaves, the thyme, ginger and white pepper.
  • Wait out out your veg timer with your broth on medium heat.
  • Once the veg timer goes off, set the garlic bulb bundle aside and add the roasted carrots and celery directly to the soup.
  • Carefully squeeze the cloves out of your garlic bulb onto a clean cutting board and make a paste of them (i do this by hand with the flat of a chefs knife, in a smash and scrape method, or in a mortor and pestle).
  • Once smooth(ish) add the garlic paste to your soup.
  • Add your shredded chicken and cook for 5minutes on low-medium heat, covered.
  • Taste and adjust to your preferance, normally i need to add a little salt at this point, but this should be to your taste not mine!
  • Finally your starch, during the last 5 minutes i will normally add a thick egg noodle, about half a large bag gives more then enough.
  • This could also be served over rice.