Emeril's Garlicky Bread Soup

Mysterygirl's Note:

I first had Cream of Garlic Soup in New Orleans and fell in love with the smooth mild taste, so I was ecstatic when Emeril did this on his show one day and even more when my husband agreed to try it. This is a favorite with family and friends now. Even my friend's 18 month old granddaughter couldn't get enough.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• salt
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 cups diced day old French bread
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the olive oil.
2. When the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, crushed bay leaf and crushed red pepper.
3. Season with salt.
4. Saute until slightly caramelized, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Stir in the stock.
6. Bring the liquid up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 40 minutes.
7. Turn the heat up and whisk in the bread and cream.
8. Continue whisking until the bread has dissolved into the soup, about 10 minutes.
9. With a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth.
10. Whisk in the cheese.
11. Season with salt and pepper.
12. Ladle into individual soup bowls and serve.
13. Garnish with parsley.

Reviews

[blakesle]

This was heavenly and not very difficult to do. I found the bread dissolved into the soup enough that I did not have to puree.Good garlic flavour!!

[Lisa S]

I LOVE garlic & this is very good! I added some sausage & escarole for a change.

[MrsSPheonix]

Delicious! I have heard of using stale bread in soups but have never tried it. This recipe was easy to put together. I used 2 large onions, 1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves), a small stale pasta dura loaf (2 cups) & light cooking cream; we also omitted the salt as the chicken stock cubes added enough saltiness for our tastes. The rest of the ingredients were used as written & we followed the directions, except we did not puree the soup. I probably would for company but as it was just the two of us, we quite like the texture of the bread once it had soaked up the liquid, as a previous reviewer said they were sort of liked dumplings. We served this piping hot with a good grinding of pepper, YUM! Thanks for sharing Mysterygirl :-) I love Emeril (even though we rarely see him on TV here) & this recipe is headed for my regular rotation. Warm, comforting, perfect for a Winter evening & even helps to soothe a cold. If you haven't yet, try this!!! :-) EDIT: I forgot to say that we did not crumble the bay leaf. I threw it in whole & removed before serving. Personal preference only.