Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup) #FoodieExtravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

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This month, we're celebrating garlic with Caroline of Caroline's Cooking leading the charge.

A Garlic Lover's Dream

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Alcachofas al Ajillo or Garlicky Artichokes by Food Lust People Love
• Cuban Cube Steak - Bistec de Palomilla by Caroline's Cooking
• Fresh Green Garlic Mince Bake by Sneha's Recipe
• Garlic Fried Calamari by Palatable Pastime
• Garlic Knots by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garlic Loaded Tzatziki Sauce by Hardly A Goddess
• Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Homemade Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing by A Day in the Life on the Farm

As for me, it was so tough to decide what to share. I love garlic. All kinds of garlic. Green garlic, black garlic, elephant garlic, regular garlic. I use so much garlic, Jake sometimes asks if I can tone it down. "Maybe you don't have to use enough to scare away an entire colony of vampires this time," he suggests cautiously. He definitely wasn't  thrilled to see all those heads of garlic on my cutting board for this dish!

Aïgo Bouido (or Boulido) means “boiled water” in Provençal. Aïgo bouido sauvo la vido, a popular Provençal folk saying - “Boiled water saves your life” - is said to cure anything that ails you, especially any overindulgences of libations the previous night!

The original version of Aïgo Bouido is simply water boiled with a few garlic cloves, bay leaves and fresh sage. It’s served with a slice of bread and grated cheese.

My version of Aïgo Bouido is definitely more substantial. I like to infuse the soup with other fresh herbs and stir in egg yolks to make it thicker.

Aïgo Bouido

Provençal Garlic Soup

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil + more for drizzling
• 20 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 6 sage leaves + more for garnish
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 C water
• 3 C vegetable broth or stock
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 C freshly grated cheese (I used aged parmesan)
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Heat the olive oil in a large souppot or Dutch oven. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, till the garlic begins to turn golden. Be careful not to burn it as the soup will become bitter!

Pour in the water and stock. Drop in the herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover partially. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Scoop out the herbs and discard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and cheese. Temper the eggs with the hot broth, then slowly pour the egg-broth mixture back into the souppot. Whisk until thickened and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into individual bowls and top with a small drizzle of olive oil and a sage leaf. Serve hot.