Anne’s Garlic Soup

This recipe is from Wolfgang Puck. It was good, but I don’t think we’ll have it again. It was really thick…like eating mashed potatoes, so if you make it, be sure to add more stock. Surprisingly the garlic flavor was not overwhelming; however, if you’ve ever eaten A LOT of garlic, you know what it does to your body–your sweat smells like garlic and lots of other things that I won’t mention on a food blog! If you’re brave enough to try this soup, do yourself a favor and buy the garlic already peeled. It took me 40 minutes to peel all the garlic for this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. (about 3/4 lb) peeled garlic
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 c. chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 c. heavy cream

Basil Oil:

• 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 c. Italian parsley
• 1 c. olive oil

Directions:

1. Blanch the garlic: In a medium saucepan, combine the garlic and water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and return the garlic to the pan. (Blanching the garlic will soften and also decrease the strong taste of the garlic.) Add the potatoes and chicken stock and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Pour in the cream and just bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the basil oil: In a blender, puree the basil, parsley, and the olive oil until smooth. Strain and reserve (I skipped the straining part). Clean the blender.
4. Pour the garlic soup into the blender (it may have to be done in two batches) and puree until smooth. Scrape into a clean saucepan and reheat over a low flame. Correct seasoning to taste.
5. Ladle soup into bowl and drizzle with basil oil.

Anne’s Garlic Soup: