It's the time of year for what one of my little girls dismissively calls, "snissles." Whether you've got allergies, the common cold, or a sinus infection, having a plugged up nose is not what anyone would call fun, yet we all seem to be plagued by it at one point or another through the fall and winter. I've been blessed with a shockingly hardy immune system, but despite that fact, there are moments when even I fall prey to a head-cold and soup is just about the only thing that can manage to soothe what feels like the world ending. I've never eaten soups as delicious as those we were treated to in our travels through Romania, but I am making a point this winter of learning how to make soup at least somewhat like them. My life is as busy as the next twenty-something's and I don't have much time for cookbook-perusal, so I've taken to reading through Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking during breakfast. In the morning of one of my more recent days off, sans makeup and the more negligible bits of clothing, I sat on my bed to browse that relaxing bit of cookery-reading. I was forging my way through the soups section and whether it was because I had just gotten over a bout with allergies or because I was feeling fallish, I grabbed onto the idea of making Julia Child's recipe for Aigo Bouido (garlic soup).

"Enjoying your first bowl of garlic soup, you might never suspect what it is made of. Because the garlic is boiled, its after-effects are at a minimum, and its flavor becomes exquisite, aromatic, and almost undefinable,"

Julia Child says. Keep talking like that, Ms. Child, and I'm going to be not only making the soup, but wearing it like perfume. Besides, think of all the nourishing, amazing antibodies going into you when you drink a bowl of straight up garlic soup! I rushed to the store (after getting thoroughly dressed) and bought the garlic, made the soup, and felt the satisfaction of going cookbook-to-lunch without ever having picked up a technological device. Boo-yeah. Here's the soup with a heckalotta health benefits masked in its delicate, aromatic flavor.





1 separated head or about 16 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of pepper
2 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
6-7 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 egg yolks

1.) Drop garlic cloves into boiling water and boil thirty seconds. Drain, run under cold water, and peel.
2.) Place the garlic and all ingredients (EXCEPT 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil and the egg yolks) in a 3-quart saucepan and boil slowly for thirty minutes. Correct seasoning to taste.
3.) Beat the egg yolks in a soup tureen if you have one. I did not, so I beat them in a glass bowl. Beat for a minute until they are thick and sticky. Drop by drop add the remaining olive oil until incorporated.
4.) Just before serving, beat a ladleful of hot soup into the egg mixture by droplets. Gradually strainm in the rest, beating and pressing the juice out of the garlic cloves. Serve immediately, topped with finely grated parmesan and crusty bread, or bagel chips.