I have spent far more Valentine’s Days on the single front than I have entwined in a couple, so when I was tasked with creating a Valentine’s Day themed recipe for the Montpelier Farmers Market newsletter, I had to spend a little time thinking about what this holiday meant to me. I never been much of a subscriber to the belief that you have to celebrate Valentine’s Day with pink hearts and squishy-wishy tweddy bwears. To me Valentine’s Day is about celebrating all the good stuff about the relationship you are in. Kind of like Mother’s Day for love. I also think that V-Day should be about you and your better half, so folks outside of the pair shouldn’t get a say (kind of like gay marriage, really).

We’re often taught what are appropriate date foods and what aren’t. Foods that are messy, need your hands, make your breath smell or make you fart are all out. But, to me, Valentine’s Day isn’t about dating, it’s about your coupledom, so if you and your partner like to get messy with your hands or don’t mind life’s odors, you should do what makes your pair happy. I love garlic, my man loves garlic, and when I suggested this dish to my man he quickly texted back “Yes please.” Since ours were the only opinions that mattered, I decided to give us mutually sweet breath with this sublime soup. One of my favorite parts about this soup (besides its taste) is the one cup of wine. The two of you can finish off the rest of the bottle together to get a head start on this holiday that’s as lovely as the one you love.




Valentine’s Day Garlic Soup

3 small yellow onions
3 medium heads of garlic (about 3.5 oz, unpeeled)
1 tbs fresh rosemary (or dried, if preferred)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 oz chevre (optional)

1) Peel, halve and then slice the onions (slicing from pole to pole, rather than across the center produces onion slices that hold their structure better in a soup). Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Finely chop the rosemary.

2) Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, olive oil and salt to a large saucepan and sauté over medium high heat, stirring often, until the onion has started to brown. Add the wine to the pot, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion and garlic have softened. Add the broth to the pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and portion into bowl. Add a 1/2 oz dollop of chevre to each bowl of soup, if you’d like. Enjoy!