I thought I would fancy up the title of the soup, as Garlic Soup sounds about as bare-bones and are-you-kidding-me as it gets, but is also alchemical in its transformation of ingredients. It is magic. It’s one of the simplest soups to make. Okay, real life moment- when I had to drizzle that raw egg in at the end and whisk at the same time I had flash backs of ice bathing asparagus and though f***, am I doing this right?

Thankfully, I began to see ribbons. If I had a culinary bucket list, I could check whisking eggs into fluffy silk ribbons off of it. This soup is soothing and calming, and perfect for the flu, runny nose, and whatever winter aliments you might have obtained. Some people have chicken soup; I prefer this. I ate mine with a side of shrimp. How are you staying healthy on these snowy days?

Ingredients

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. butter
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 4 medium potatoes
• 9 large heads garlic, chopped
• 1 roasted garlic head
• 1 t paprika
• 6 c chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bouquet herbs: 6 parsley stems, 9 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried, and 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 t salt
• 2 c half-and-half
• 1/4 t fresh-ground black pepper
• 1/2 t dried hot red pepper flakes
• 4 large eggs

Heat oil in a pot over low/medium-low heat. Add garlic, onions, carrot, and bell pepper and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and roasted garlic. Cook, stirring frequently so the potatoes don’t burn, 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the paprika and stir to coat everything. Add the rest of the garlic cloves, the herb bouquet, and stock. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt as needed. Remove some of the potatoes and garlic (if you like texture) and blend the rest. Return anything you removed to pot. Stir the soup pot in wide circles, and slowly stream the beaten eggs into the pot. You want them to turn into wisps and ribbons, not clumps, so keep stirring for a few extra seconds after everything is added. Serve immediately.

Shrimp: Season shrimp with coarse salt and ground pepper. Heat 1 T olive oil or butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few leaves of rosemary and the shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.

Cooks Tip :Add garlic, onions or scallions, carrot, bell pepper (my real life cheat tip is to toss all these in your blender for an even cut)