Garlic: My Other BFF
I get an enormous rush out of standing for hours on end in front of the cutting board or stove; peering into the oven, checking for doneness and seasoning; chopping an array of vegetables and herbs, all to end in a great dish. In my early days of cooking, I felt myself playing at a game of balance. Now, I find that I’m working through an artform, learning as I go, perfecting what I like.
It seemed only natural, then, that I take advantage of the internet and share a little more in depth look into the cooking going on in my kitchen. This series will be a weekly share of some famous recipes, some Shawn creations, or something somewhere between the two. I enjoy cooking everything from French and Italian, to Indian and East Asian-inspired, to Tex-Mex. Meat and potatoes, boxed mac’n’cheese, and canned soups were all stepping stones to where I am now, and where I hope to be! Enjoy!
This first share is a potentially not-so-well-known French dish: Aigo Bouido, or simply garlic soup. Yes, I said garlic soup. I got this recipe from the renowned Mastering The Art Of French Cooking by none other than, Julia Child. Any good, aspiring amateur chef has to flip through this mammoth book of recipes and tricks just so that some of the techniques he picks up later make more sense! (I put salmon-colored post-its next to all of the recipes I’ve cooked from this book in two years, and it’s gotten to be quite a lot). This soup is a favorite of mine for two reasons: I grew up with an Italian mother so garlic is as essential to me as air; and this recipe is so easy!!
You throw some peeled, parboiled garlic and fresh parsley in with two quarts of water, olive oil, clove, thyme, and sage; let boil for a half-hour, and eat. Adding eggs to this soup gives it depth and heartiness that you can’t live without. (Eggs and garlic? Perfect marriage for me!). Julia’s recipe, the first time I tried it was good, but not nearly garlicy enough for me…so I doubled the amount she called for. Here are my proportions for about 6 servings:
- 2 Bulbs of garlic, separated and peeled (more on how in a sec)
- 2 Quarts of water (next time I make this I’m going to mix it up with a concoction of dry white wine and broth with water, but water’ll do)
- 2 Cloves
- ½ tsp ground sage
- ½ tsp thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 4–5 fresh parsley sprigs (Italian parsley is my favorite, but curly leaf would work too, if you prefer a more lemony and less earth taste)
- 3 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Utensils: Big soup pot, like one you’d boil pasta in; a whisk, slotted spoon, hand-strainer]
This first step you take after you’ve assembled all of your ingredients and cooking accoutrements is to peel the garlic. Don’t try and get cute and peel these by hand cold; separate the bulbs completely, discard the tops, and throw them into a pot of boiling water for about a minute. This makes them easier to peel and starts releasing garlic juice. (Julia says 30 seconds, but I’ll be damned if a minute wasn’t even long enough!). Strain the garlic cloves and peel completely, you don’t want to be slurping soup and taste wet skin… Once peeled, give the things a good rinse in some cool water and set aside.
Now, literally the easiest part of this recipe. Combine your water, or liquid concoction, with all the remaining spices, fresh parsley, and peeled garlic. Set it over medium-high(ish) heat and bring to a slow, slow boil. You want the soup to come together, not evaporate away on you. Let everything marry for at least 30 minutes. As Julia says, a good chef always checks seasoning periodically, so do just that. Get a tasting spoon ready, and when you occasionally stir the soup check the salt and pepper levels to your liking. (Side note, I don’t like when recipes give you precise measurements for good old S&P; they’re additives done to taste, not calculated by science!). When the kitchen smells like a garlic foot, and the soup doesn’t taste like bland garlic water, scoop out the garlic cloves off-heat. Don’t worry, we’re not leaving them unattended — dump them back into a strainer and, using your spoon, press all the juice back into the soup. If you’re truly adventurous, scrape the garlic crap back into the pot and give it a good heavy whisking. (Here’s a hint: it makes it better).
From here, Julia says you have a few different avenues you can take with this soup. You can whip egg yolks and olive oil in a tureen until you get a mayonnaise-y like filler and ladel soup into that, making a creamier, heartier soup. Or, you could simmer potatoes and saffron and serve as an accompaniment to chicken or fish. Or you can go full Frenchie and bring the pot back up to a gentle simmer, and poach some eggs in it. Guess which one I did? A good poached egg is done in four minutes and is quickly dried. The trick with this is to slightly undercook the eggs so that when the hot soup is ladeled over them, they don’t overcook as you serve. You could also drop a piece of bread (good bread, not the crap out of plastic bags with name brands) into the bottom of a bowl, place a few eggs on top and ladel soup around them. I chose to go two poached eggs per serving sans bread, but with some sauteed mushrooms dont Julia’s way (butter!), and a glass of wine on the side. Served this way it’s called Soupe a l’Oeuf, Provencale.
Overall, a super easy, French dish that doesn’t require being able to do more than shuck some garlic, poach an egg and eat. There are certainly more complex creations from Mastering the Art Of French Cooking that I’ve done, and will do again; and I’ll be sure to share them. The beautiful part about this soup, though, is its versatility. With a shelf life of up to a week, plain Aigo Bouido makes for the best fusion ramen broth! Throw the leftover soup, a splash more water, 8 oz of spinach, two servings of ramen noodles (if you use the pre-packed kind, only one seasoning pouch); slap on a soft-boiled egg and some sriracha and you’re golden! Easy Westernized ramen in under 10 minutes!
