Roasted Onions

I'm a sucker for good looking produce. When I'm out at Michell Farms in Saanich I can't resist the boxes and bags of vegetables grown on their vast acreage. But often with impulse bulk buying comes the realization that you have a surplus of food that is in need of being used up. Now.So, we'll be eating onions over the next few days. To use up the bulk of the surplus, roasting is efficient.

Peel the onions and cut them in half. There will be tears. Put them in a large bowl, add a good glug of olive oil, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and fresh thyme leaves, making sure the onions are evenly coated.

Lay the onions face down on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.Flip the onions over and take a good look at that lovely caramelization. These beauties make a wonderful accompaniment to roasted meats but I've decided to make soup.
Add the onions to a big soup pot along with 7 cups of roasted chicken stock and a bay leaf.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to blend the onions until smooth.
Serve with a drizzle of cream and garlicky croutons.
Or a cheese crouton. Use any cheese you like. Gruyere or emmental would be great but even the goat feta I had on hand worked just fine.
I used 14 onions total to 7 cups of stock. You can elaborate on this soup by roasting some fall apples with the onions. Or use this as a springboard for your own imagination.