If you were to ask me the best memories of the twelve-odd summers I was playing in Graz, Austria, a top contender surely would be garlic soup at Stainzerbauer restaurant. I don’t think it was ever on the menu but it was a favorite of us musicians and whenever we sat down to eat, a bowl or two would reliably appear.

At one point, I talked the chef into giving me some of his recipes, but, as they were written on the back of a napkin, I lost track of them over the years.

So it was really wonderful to find Austrian-style garlic soup discussed on some food blogs. Every country has a good garlic soup recipe, but I’m partial to this one: creamy, with an abundance of garlic and chewy croutons on top.

The best of the recipes I found was a post from 2006 on the Tea & Cookies blog. Making it tonight, Tom and I agreed it was pretty much what we remember.  Here’s Tea’s recipe:

3 tbs unsalted butter
10 cloves garlic
1/4 cup sifted flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 tbs chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish
2 slices crusty bread

 

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, preferably with a rounded bottom (easier for whisking). Keep the butter on a low heat and add the garlic, finely minced or squeezed through a garlic press. Sauté gradually, on low heat, making sure the garlic does not brown.

 

When the garlic has softened (5-10 minutes), begin whisking in the flour so that it forms a thick paste. Add the milk, in a slow stream, whisking constantly (standard roux technique). When the milk has been fully incorporated, begin whisking in the chicken stock. Allow the soup to bubble and thicken, and add more stock if needed.

 

Chop the parsley and stir into the soup. Cut the bread into medium cubes and toast in an oven or toaster oven. Garnish with extra parsley and the bread cubes (you could use pre-made croutons, but I prefer toasted bread as it is a bit more chewy).

A couple of my observations:

• keep the butter on a very low heat. when the garlic hits the melted butter it should not in any way sizzle. The activity should seem more like liquid evaporating off than the garlic being sauteed.
• if you keep the heat low and add only a little liquid at a time, you can still get a smooth soup with a spoon instead of a whisk (less things to clean up). raise the heat again to cook the soup.
• remember that a roux-thickened dish like this will get even thicker as it cools on the table. So what you should do is get the consistency you want on the stove and then add more stock so it’s a little thinner than that.

Guten appetit!

thanks to Tea & Cookies