Garlic and Rice Soup
This hot fragrant garlic-rich soup is a twist on the comfort soup from Spain, sopa de ajo.
Servings: 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic , separated into cloves and peeled
- 9 ½ cups vegetable broth
- Pinch saffron , optional
- 2 decent pinches Aleppo pepper or freshly ground black pepper
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 pinches dried sage
- Pinch dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Arborio rice
- 1 onion , diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 2 cups Garlic Croutons—see recipe below
- ½ cup grated Manchego or other sharp cheese
*For the croutons:*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Real Salt Organic Garlic Salt or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 slices whole grain bread , cut in ¾-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
For the soup:
- Add the garlic to the vegetable broth along with the saffron, if using, the pepper, cloves, sage, thyme, and oil. Stir in the rice kernels. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about one hour. While the soup is simmering, melt the butter in a skillet. On very low heat cook and stir the onions until they are very soft and translucent. Stir the sautéed onions into the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
- With a slotted spoon, pick out most the garlic, and the two cloves if you can find them. (After the long simmer, the garlic has given its essence to the soup. Discard the garlic, or reserve some for garlic-lovers to add back in.)
- To serve, put some croutons in the bottom of a soup bowl and sprinkle with the cheese. Ladle in the soup.
For the croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the olive oil, garlic salt and paprika in a bowl, add the diced bread, and toss until well coated. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.