Bread and Allium Soup

Allium is the botanical family name for shallots, garlic, onions, and leeks. Any one of them will work in this bread-thickened peasant soup. What allium is used, as well as the optional dairy garnish, depends entirely on what you have on hand.

6 slices of firm or stale white bread (preferably made without sugar), crusts removed and broken into pieces, or 2 cups of cubed dry French or Italian bread, crusts removed
2 cups of whole milk
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of coarsely chopped shallots; or 10 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; or 1 1/2 cups of coarsely chopped onions or leaks, or a combination of onions and leeks to equal 1 1/2 cups
2 cups of vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Optional garnish of 1 cup (more or less) of milk, yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream

Combine the bread and the 2 cups of whole milk. Set this aside to soak.

In a proper size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the allium of choice and saute until the are wilted, 3 to 6 minutes, depending what vegetable you used. If using garlic, saute for 1 minute, no more.

Add the vegetable broth and bring it to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, with a wooden spoon, mash the bread into even smaller pieces.

Add the bread and the milk to the saucepan and stir frequently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon while bringing the mixture to a simmer.

Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread has dissolved and the soup has thickened.

You may have to do a little stirring or whisking, as the soup should be very smooth without lumps.

Season with a very small amount of salt, a generous amount of pepper, and a careful amount of nutmeg. (If you have not used nutmeg in your cooking, perhaps leave it out. It can go from a great enhancer to an overpowering bitterness very easily.)

If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin it with one of the optional dairy garnishes.

Serve the soup hot with a peppermill at hand. This soup and pepper go well together.

A sprinkling of chopped fresh chives is a very nice garnish to add after each bowl is filled.