Zuppa di aglio. Versions of this soup exist all over the world. I used to live in the Czech Republic and česnečka was said to be a fantastic cure for a hangover ;) It is best made with new season “wet” garlic, but regular dried garlic will give good results. Use very good stock, it will be so much better than cubes. It can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and a vegetarian cheese. Serves 4.

• 1 litre of good chicken stock
• 100g garlic about 2 or 3 heads, peeled and finely diced
• 200g potatoes, peeled and finely diced
• 4 slices rustic white bread, toasted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 60g parmesan or grana

1. Simmer the garlic and potato in the stock for about 20 minutes. The garlic and potato should be very tender.
2. Liquidize until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side on both side of the toast. This will produce quite a strong garlic flavour, so be careful. If you prefer a mild flavour, leave out this step altogether.
4. Drizzle the toast with olive oil, put a slice into each bowl, pour the hot soup on top and sprinkle with parmesan.

Filed under: Bread, Chicken stock, Garlic, Minestra - Soup, Potatoes, Primo - first course, Recipe Tagged: first course, garlic, Italian recipe, minestra, primo, soup