Beer, broccoli and Gruyère soup in bread bowls with chorizo oil and croutes with roasted garlic

For the bread, preheat the oven to 120°C. Hollow out the large round of bread or each of the small ones to make a “bowl” and brush with olive oil. Place in the oven, about 40 – 60 minutes.

For the croutes, turn up the oven to 150°C. Place the 2 halved garlic heads on a baking tray, drizzle with the 60ml (4 tbsp) olive oil and slowly roast until soft, about 40 minutes. Slice the ciabatta roll into long, thin slices. Brush the slices with the garlic olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake the croutes until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 – 10 minutes.

For the soup, blanch the broccoli in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the water from the broccoli and allow to cool. Once cool, chop up the broccoli and set aside. Heat the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the 3 chopped garlic cloves, onions, salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour, whisk in the pale ale and bring to a boil. Add the milk, 2 cups water and the soya sauce and bring to a boil again. Boil the soup, stirring occasionally, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Add the chopped broccoli. Remove from heat and blitz with a stick blender to form a puree. Stir in the cheese and season to taste.

For the chorizo, heat the 75ml (5 tbsp) olive oil in a small pan and gently fry the chorizo over very low heat, adding the smoked paprika when the chorizo is almost done. Set aside to let the oil infuse and allow to cool down.

Serve soup in bread “bowl” with roasted garlic and croutes. Drizzle with chorizo oil.