Garlic Soup
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 3-4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme , leaves removed, stems discarded
- a dozen medium cloves of garlic , smashed peeled, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Binding pommade:
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese , plus extra for garnish
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- day-old crusty bread and more olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Bring the stock and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf, sage, thyme, garlic, and salt. Heat to a gentle boil and simmer for 40 minutes, covered. If the liquid reduces too far, add more water, up to 1 cup. Remove the bay leave from the soup.
- For an extra creamy result, use an immersion blender to smooth out any chunky bits. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- With a fork, whisk the egg, egg yolks, cheese, and pepper together in a bowl until creamy. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, beating all the time, then add (slowly! slowly!), continuing to whisk, a large ladleful of the broth.
- Stir the contents of the bowl into the garlic broth and whisk it continuously over low-medium heat until it thickens to about the consistency of heavy cream or a loose bechamel. It might seem like it will never thicken, but keep going - it does!
- Place a handful of torn bread chunks into the bottom of each bowl and pour the soup over the bread. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.