Goldie wrote asking for Garlic Soup. To be honest, though there are parts of Italy that enjoy a reputation for extensive garlic use, I've never encountered it in a soup. However, I have a booklet entitled L'Aglio che Guarisce, (Garlic that Cures), by Carlo Ducroix, who says the Noble Bulb is good for everything from fevers (a tossed salad dressed with abundant finely sliced garlic, salt, and a little lemon juice -- good also for persistent coughs) to baldness...
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 4-6 ounces (100-150 g) stale bread
- Half a red pepper, shredded
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- From 1 to 2 cups hot water (have more handy)
Preparation:
Continuing with the cure for baldness: (Make a paste from 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, a medium onion, the juice of a lemon and 2 tablespoons of oil. Apply to thinly haired sections of the scalp before going to bed, sleep with a towel wrapped around your head to keep the pomade in place, and wash your hair in the morning).
When it comes to garlic soup, Mr. Ducroix suggests mincing a clove of garlic or more to taste and adding it to broth, consommé or cream of vegetable soup just before serving it (cook for a few minutes if the odor of garlic is a problem). Or, he suggests, make Garlic Soup, which is a variation on the bread soup of the Italian poor. You'll need the ingredients listed above.
Finely mince the garlic and sauté it in a pot with the oil. When it begins to turn golden (but before it burns) stir in the bread, water, and shredded pepper. Keep the pot at a brisk simmer for 10 minutes, stirring it often and adding more water if it looks like it's drying out. Season to taste with salt before serving it.
Mr. Ducroix suggests those especially enamored of garlic sprinkle more raw garlic into their soup at table, use more hot pepper, or crack an egg into the soup upon removing the pot from the stove and give everything a good stir -- the egg will cook, and thus thicken things. While I might be interested in the latter two variations I think I'd avoid sprinkling more raw garlic into this, because it already packs a healthy punch.
The wine? I'd go with a white, for example a Soave.
When it comes to garlic soup, Mr. Ducroix suggests mincing a clove of garlic or more to taste and adding it to broth, consommé or cream of vegetable soup just before serving it (cook for a few minutes if the odor of garlic is a problem). Or, he suggests, make Garlic Soup, which is a variation on the bread soup of the Italian poor. You'll need the ingredients listed above.
Finely mince the garlic and sauté it in a pot with the oil. When it begins to turn golden (but before it burns) stir in the bread, water, and shredded pepper. Keep the pot at a brisk simmer for 10 minutes, stirring it often and adding more water if it looks like it's drying out. Season to taste with salt before serving it.
Mr. Ducroix suggests those especially enamored of garlic sprinkle more raw garlic into their soup at table, use more hot pepper, or crack an egg into the soup upon removing the pot from the stove and give everything a good stir -- the egg will cook, and thus thicken things. While I might be interested in the latter two variations I think I'd avoid sprinkling more raw garlic into this, because it already packs a healthy punch.
The wine? I'd go with a white, for example a Soave.
