The Kitchen Scholar explores the world of food and cooking beyond the levels of nourishment and sensory pleasure by intersecting with different stories that range from personal narratives to third-party perspectives in different academic fields and by promoting the legacy of culinary traditions and cookbook authors.

GREEN GARLIC SOUP

GREEN GARLIC SOUP

The Kitchen Scholar
Soups

SOURCE: ALICE WATERS. CHEZ PANISSE VEGETABLES.

For a limited time around the spring season, Chez Panisse serves dishes that showcase young garlic shoots as a key ingredient. Harvested at a horticultural age of two to four months since injecting the cloves into the soil, the immature foliages of garlic resemble leeks while sporting a white or rose-streaked bulbous root end and impart a delicate and sweet flavor that can take the place of its other Allium relatives in a potato-based soup. When presented to James Beard during his first visit with Marion Cunningham to Chez Panisse, he emphatically advised the owner, Alice Waters, to rename the prototype manifestation, “Green Garlic Soup”, instead of “Young Garlic Soup”.

For a limited time around the spring season, Chez Panisse serves dishes that showcase young garlic shoots as a key ingredient. Harvested at a horticultural age of two to four months since injecting the cloves into the soil, the immature foliages of garlic resemble leeks while sporting a white or rose-streaked bulbous root end and impart a delicate and sweet flavor that can take the place of its other Allium relatives in a potato-based soup. When presented to James Beard during his first visit with Marion Cunningham to Chez Panisse, he emphatically advised the owner, Alice Waters, to rename the prototype manifestation, “Green Garlic Soup”, instead of “Young Garlic Soup”.

Ingredients

1 pound/500 grams green garlic

8 tablespoons/120 grams unsalted butter

4 cups/200 grams finely diced onions

Salt to taste

2 cups/250 grams peeled and finely diced potatoes such as Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold, or any tasty cultivar

2 quarts/2 L chicken stock, preferably homemade

Specific Equipment

Sharp knife

Medium-sized stockpot with a capacity of about 5 quarts/5 L

OPTIONAL: Vegetable mill OR food processor

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Trim away the root end of the green garlic and peel away any tough or dirty outer leaves. Cut away the tough upper portion of the green leaf. If the leaves are very tough, use the lower part of the greens instead.

2. Cut the garlic into thin rounds or semicircles.

3. Melt the butter in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat. Sauté in the onions for 5 minutes or until they have turned translucent and soft. Season lightly with salt. Sauté in the garlic and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well-blended. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

4. Lower the heat to moderate and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Adjust the seasoning according to taste. Purée the soup with a vegetable mill or food processor, if desired. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls.

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