Garlic Soup

This soup kicks chicken noodle soup's you know what. It's the BEST thing when you have the flu. All of the ingredients boost your immune system and are antimicrobials, and it tastes wonderful too. (Yes, even if you're sick and can't taste anything, you will taste this soup.)

Mix and match your own ingredients* and "add ons"* but here's Jessie's basic garlic soup recipe. It's wonderful on its own.

- a couple of tablespoons of olive oil--pouring about 3 times around the bottom of the pan
- 30 to 50 cloves garlic (that's approximately 3-5 heads)
- 6 to 8 C. chicken stock (homemade or Campbell's made--it would probably be good with beef stock too)
- 1 large sprig fresh sage (8-10 leaves) or 2-4 tsp. dried sage (to taste)
- 3 to 5 bay leaves
- 3 fingered pinch salt (I use Maldon sea salt but it's hard to find so anything you prefer would be fine)

1. Peel and roughly chop garlic. Pour oil into large stock pot.
2. Put garlic in pot with chicken stock, sage, bay leaves, and salt.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Simmer soup 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Pour soup in blender (you may have to do this in "batches" if your blender is small) and blend until sage and bay are finely chopped.
6. Strain soup if you prefer, discarding stems, etc. from sage and bay. Or eat them, if you're feeling particularly rabbit-like.
7. Pour soup back into stock pot, cover, and simmer 10 minutes further.

It's good for what ails you! Enjoy!

If you've got a bit of crusty, cheesey, garlic bread with the soup this meal is ABSOLUTE heaven. (If you're lazy or sick, Dierbergs makes a freaking awesome one that you bake at home, it's in the deli section.)

*Things I might think about adding if I wasn't sick:

-orzo pasta or small shell pasta
-celery
-shredded chicken
-shredded carrots
-tiny cubes of potato (think hashbrown sized)