I’ve had Heidi’s post about Richard Olney’s Garlic Soup bookmarked since the day it published, and with Mike away for the evening, and me trying to build up my system in advance of the coming cold and flu season, I finally gave it a whirl last night. And let me tell you… wow.
This dish is incredibly simple, but what a showcase for super-fresh, really high quality ingredients: a head of garlic I picked up from Kimball’s at the Tuesday farmers’ market in Boston, just before boarding my train; Zephyr Farm eggs with their gorgeous orange yolks; torn pieces of crusty ciabatta; and (my one variance from Heidi’s version) stock Mike made just that morning, from leftover bits of our favorite pastured chicken.
I drizzled on some of our best olive oil, then tucked into a bowl of pure goodness while enjoying a quiet evening alone.
The soup, and the evening, were just as restorative as I had hoped they would be.




Wow, that soup looks delicious. I like eggs in my soup and love garlic, so I’m sure I’ll love it too!
Oh, that looks wonderful. I’ve had the recipe bookmarked too, but completely forgot about it until now. Perhaps I’ll skip the leftover lasagna for my last alone night this week and give it a go!
So glad dinner worked out! (I’m savorykitchen on Twitter) Thrilled to be reminded of this recipe again and as I have a few solo dinners coming up, will put it onto the roster!
I usually have garlic soup when I’m eating alone too, though it’s usually James Peterson’s broth-based one. Will try this next time.
I’ve had that recipe saved too! Shall have to try soon…
We made the soup recently too and it was amazing. It was so rich that I had just a tiny portion and was very satisfied.
Just wondering–what is that served alongside the soup? Did you put it in the soup or dip it or just serve it as a side dish?
One of my favourites. Beautiful bowl with vegetables alongside.
Astonishingly beautiful photography, especially the first “ingredients” photo. And I love the glimpse of the latest issue of Real Simple in the final picture.
Chiara – Thanks!
Amy and Sian – Do not delay – it’s a fabulous recipe!
Mary – I think you’ll really like it!
Robin – Yeah, I’ve done a brothy version which I liked, but this version was truly special.
Nicole – I was surprised at how rich and filling it was! And my “sides” were the last of our little grape tomatoes and some radishes with softened sweet butter and flaky sea salt. I figured a few little raw vegetables would round out the meal
Marie – Thank you, my dear.
Anna – Thanks! And that’s actually the latest issue of Rhode Island Monthly you’re seeing, though now that you mention it, the cover is very similar to the current Real Simple – Turkey dinners everywhere!
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I’ve been following your blog for quite a while and enjoying your wealth of good recipes. When Foodista announced that they are going to publish the best food blogs in a full color book that will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing Fall 2010, I naturally thought of you. This recipe would be a good submission! You can enter here: http://www.foodista.com/blogbook/submit
Cheers,
Melissa
melissa@foodista.com
Editor and Community Developer
Foodista.com — The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit
Thanks for the kind words, Melissa. The problem is, this isn’t one of my original recipes – it’s from Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks.