Garlic Soup

Cook time: 60 minutes        Yields: 3-4 servings as an appetizer, or 2 as soup-for-dinner

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
18-24 cloves of garlic, peeled (I used 2 full heads, about 20-some cloves, and the taste was mild)
4 cups chicken stock
3 egg yolks
1/2 tablespoon bacon fat
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

With the knob turned between "medium" and "low," gently heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic cloves and cook until softened considerably (about 20-30 minutes). The heat should be low enough so the garlic doesn't brown, just softens. Pour in chicken stock, season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, then heat for 15-20 minutes more. Blend soup until smooth, return to heat. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks together, add in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of bacon fat, whisk. Slowly beat in about 1/4 cup of heated soup mixture into eggs, whisking continuously. (Adding some of the heated broth to the eggs tempers them and raises their temperature, reducing the chance they will curdle when added to the soup.) Pour egg yolk mixture into the soup, beating continuously. In a minute or two, the soup will thicken slightly. Continue to heat at a low temperature until cooked through.

**I added homemade noodles to this soup to give it some body. There is no recipe for the noodles, but basically they were just flour, a pinch of salt, and egg, mixed up till a dough forms, then rolled up into lumpy masses (I was too lazy to roll them out nicely and make pretty noodles) and dropped to boil in the soup.

I think this soup would be a good base to which you could add chicken/turkey, and probably vegetables if you like that kind of thing. I don't generally like soup, and certainly not if it has veggies in it, so it was broth and noodles for me, but I think I will add a white meat next time I make it.