Ten cloves of garlic, water, an egg and a spoonful of mustard: Soupe à l'ail rose is the peasants' soup from around Lautrec, where pink garlic grows, which we bring to Berlin every summer. It has been cooked for generations from whatever is in the house, and it takes no ten minutes. The garlic loses its sharpness when cooked and becomes mild and sweet; the mayonnaise at the end binds the soup and makes it velvety. Where the garlic comes from, why it cannot be braided, and how Sébastien Marty turns it into black garlic is told in our portrait of the Lautrecoise.
Lautrec · Soup
Soupe à l'ail rose de Lautrec
A recipe for evenings when the refrigerator is empty and something warm should still be on the table. Six ingredients, one pot, twenty minutes from start to finish.
Preparation
1
Bring the water to a boil. Add the crushed garlic and egg white, salt, stir everything together and simmer for 3 minutes.
2
Add the capelli d'angelo and cook for another 3 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolk, salt, pepper, mustard and olive oil to make a small mayonnaise.
4
Thin the mayonnaise with a ladle of lukewarm soup and then carefully stir it into the soup. Do not let it boil again, or the egg will curdle. Serve immediately.
Tip
In Lautrec, the soup is just as often made with roasted grey bread instead of pasta. The bread is added to the plates just before serving so that it does not become soggy. If you prefer it bolder, replace some of the water with chicken broth.
