HOW TO STORE FRESH THYME RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Peel and finely chop the onions and carrots, trim and finely chop the celery, and peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely chop the bacon.
  2. Heat a lug of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and fry slowly until the bacon starts to release all its tasty fat and goes crispy, then crumble in the dried chilli, and add the dried thyme, onion, carrot, celery and garlic.
  3. Cook gently with the lid on for about 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft, then add the lentils and 1 litre water or vegetable stock.
  4. Bring to the boil and simmer until the lentils are soft (check the packet instructions as different types of lentils vary in cooking time. If you’re mixing your lentils, cook for the longest amount of time to make sure they are all cooked properly).
  5. Drain, then tip in the cannellini beans and, if the soup’s a little thick, add a splash more water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes, then taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.
  6. Meanwhile, pick and finely chop the parsley.
  7. Ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley. Serve with hunks of bread for dunking.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat the heads of garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and place them in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
• While the garlic is roasting, stir together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the bread cubes, and stir to coat. Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes in the oven with the garlic, or until golden brown. Stir occasionally for even toasting.
• Once the garlic is roasted, cut the heads in half horizontally, so that all of the cloves are exposed. Squeeze both halves to release the roasted cloves into a medium bowl. Pick out any pieces of skin that fall in.
• In a large saucepan, combine the roasted garlic, milk, cream and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, then puree in a blender. Strain through a sieve back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, and top with croutons to serve.