Allium is the botanical family name for shallots, garlic, onions and leeks. Any one of them will work in this peasanty bread-thickened cream soup. What allium you use, as well as which dairy enrichment, depends entirely on what you have on hand. The bread thickening is called a panade in French and many recipes of this sort call the whole soup panade.
Serves 4.
6 slices firm or even stale white bread (preferably made without sugar), crusts removed and broken into pieces, OR 2 C dry French or Italian bread, crusts removed
2 C milk
2 T butter
1 C coarsely chopped shallots, OR 10 large cloves of garlic,coarsely chopped, OR 1 1/2 C coarsely chopped leeks or onions, OR a combination of these
2 C chicken broth
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 C milk, yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream or a combination (optional)
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1. Combine the bread and milk. Set aside to soak.
2. In a 2- to 3-qt saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add your allium of choice, and saute about 3 minutes, until wilted.
3. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, with a wooden spoon, mash the bread into even smaller pieces.
5. Add the bread and milk to the saucepan and stir frequently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon while bringing the mixture to a simmer. Simmer, covered, another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread has dissolved and the soup has thickened. The soup may not look perfectly smooth, but you should not feel any lumps in your mouth.
6. Season with a few grinds of pepper and nutmeg to taste. (Salt is generally not necessary because broth contains enough.) For a thinner or richer soup, blend in one of the dairy additions.
7. Serve very hot, with a pepper mill to add more pepper to taste.
Variations: Beat up to 1/2 C Parmesan cheese into the soup just before serving. Or, pour the soup just before serving. Or, pour the soup into individual crocks, top with Gruyère, and place bowls in a preheated 375-degree oven, until cheese melts and gets a brown glaze.
