Garlic Tomato Soup

Peel all the garlic cloves. A helpful trick is to place them in a large bowl with another bowl inverted on top and shake vigorously to loosen the skins.

Finely chop the onion and shallot. In a mortar and pestle, crush the fennel seeds and cardamom pods.

In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion and shallot and sauté until softened.

Add the crushed fennel and cardamom to the pot and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Deglaze the pot with about half of the Chardonnay, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

Add the can of chopped tomatoes and the jar of strained tomatoes. Use the remaining Chardonnay to rinse out the jar and pour it into the pot.

Add the 61 peeled garlic cloves to the soup and stir to combine.

Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook for 2 hours. The long simmer will soften the garlic until it melts into the soup.

Towards the end of the cooking time, prepare the bagel grilled cheese. Slice the bagel, top with Swiss cheese, and toast or grill until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with the bagel grilled cheese, fresh basil leaves, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.