Recipe: Garlic Soup with Fusilli and Broccoli

GARLIC SOUP WITH FUSILLI AND BROCCOLI

7 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme) (to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound fusilli pasta
1/4 pound (1 medium bunch) broccoli, broken into florets
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 medium eggs, beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or gruyere cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (to taste)
garlic croutons for garnish (recipe follows)

Combine the water, bay leaf, and salt in a soup pot and bring to a simmer. Add the garlic, thyme, and olive oil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the fusilli and broccoli, turn up the heat slightly, and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the fusilli is cooked al dente, about 10 minutes. (If you want the broccoli to be crisper, add it to the soup five minutes after the fusilli.) Add pepper and adjust the salt.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the cheese and parsley. Ladle some soup into the eggs and stir together. Turn off the heat under the soup and stir the egg mixture into the soup pot. Stir for a minute and serve, garnishing each bowl with croutons if desired.

TO MAKE GARLIC CROUTONS:
Begin with a good loaf of French bread or whole wheat country bread, not floppy or crumbly bread. Toast thin slices in a toaster or in the oven until crisp. Remove from the heat and rub with a halved clove of garlic. If you wish, brush lightly with olive oil. Cut into small dice (leave baguette slices as they are), and cut irregular-shaped loaves into baguette-size (1 to 1 1/2-inch) pieces.

Servings: 6
Source: Main-Dish Soups by Martha Rose Shulman