Garlic Soup

I am not a fan of milk. I think it has something to do with my childhood but since I can't blame everything on Mom, I will say it's because I've come to enjoy soy milk. But every now and then I have milk around the house for various recipes and it's always the case that I need only a tablespoon and am now left with almost a whole carton. That combined with the recent reporting on NPR that 3 out of 4 Americans have a vitamin D deficiency, I decided to see what I could do to incorporate a little milk and vitamin D into my diet without me actually having to drink the beverage.

I remembered eating at my first french restaurant with my family when I was a young child and there was a creamy simple soup served before the main course. The soup wasn't fancy, just rich with simple flavors. I decided to try to throw something together resembling that sliver of a memory. Results were awesome. The soup was ridiculously easy to make and is something I could throw together whenever I have some milk lying around because I always have the other ingredients on hand. The Beta Eater came home as the soup was just done and said, "I smelled something wonderful in the hallway and I was hoping it was coming from our apartment." Indeed it was coming from our apartment, instead of our Russian neighbor's who waft wonderful smells into the hallway almost on a daily basis. He very quickly ladled himself a bowl before he could even take off his tie.

1 onion

6 cloves garlic

Butter (About 4 tbspns, but just eyeball enough for the garlic and onions to cook)

2 tablespoon flour

2 cups milk
2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock, whatever you have on hand)

Tiny pinch of nutmeg
chopped parsley
French Bread or day old bread to make croutons

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Saute on low heat with butter in a medium sauce pot until soft. Add flour to create a simple roux and stir to mix with the onions and garlic. Add milk and vegetable stock and turn up to medium high heat. Stir to mix flour with the broth. Once soup begins to boil and flour has thickened the soup turn stove down and add the pinch of nutmeg. Garnish with chopped parsley. Use fresh french bread to soak up the goodness or use day old bread to make croutons.

Maybe next time I won't be a starving maniac and actually add the garnish and take a photograph on a real camera instead of my iPhone before I begin stuffing my face! :)