Garlic Broth

Every single recipe in Kafka's Soup: A Way of Life is a pathetic waste of time and ingredients. For a far superior garlic broth recipe, check out Martha Rose Shulman's version on the NY Times website.

• ABarbour

• Seattle, WA

• 2/18/2014

Used 3 cups of homemade turkey broth and 6 cups of water. It was very flavorful and I will make it again - I used it as the stock for chard and white bean soup.

• Anonymous

• NYC

• 12/29/2012

Just a couple notes, personally I always use a GOOD chicken (or vegetable) broth in place of water, it just adds depth. Also and more important to this recipe specifically, if you have green germ in your garlic, it is not fresh and will lack flavor as well as be more bitter. Fresh, strong tasting garlic will have no green germ whatsoever. Also due to the chemical make up of garlic, the smaller you chop the pieces the stronger the garlic becomes, so it DOES in fact have an effect on the finished product. When selecting garlic there should be little to no give in the cloves, no soft spots, and all the cloves should be wrapped tightly in the paper. It should have a nice garlic aroma and there should be ZERO evidence of the germ. Germ equals old. I throw out my garlic if the germ develops.

• harleywolf

• Ukiah, Ca.

• 2/26/2007

I said I'd make this again and I mean that with reservations. I read all the reviews - and I would have to agree with the cook who said it was mostly tastess. It takes a lot for me to say that, but it really was. I did puree the garlic and put it back in - that helped. I may use this again if I needed a non meat stock and it would be added to a lot of other ingredients. But it was truly mediocre.

• Dena

• Sherman Oaks, CA

• 2/8/2004

如果这是用鸡汤,它would have been less bland. And YES, I DID use the proper amount of garlic heads, and they were very fresh. It makes a fine base for soups, no doubt, but is it worth the trouble? I don't think so. My guests didn't make one comment except "very nice", which indicates just how much more trouble it was worth. If I were making a strongly garlic based soup (like white bean with escarole, one of my favorites on this site), I might consider doing this again.

• Anonymous

• Phoenix, AZ

• 11/10/2002

On its own as a cup of broth this is so-so, but it is remarkable as an ingredient to be incorporated into other recipes. There are a lot of uses for it as a soup base, of course, but I also have been playing around with it, quite successfully, as an ingredient in sauces and as a liquid to use to deglaze a pan. In one case, I used an immersion blender to puree the softened garlic cloves and then boiled about one and a half cups of the broth until it was thickened and reduced by a bit more than half. I added a half a stick of butter to the reduced broth and used the results as a sauce over fresh linguine. It was outstanding. I am planning to make regular batches of this garlic broth and keep it frozen in small containers for use in all kinds of ways.

• Anonymous

• Virginia

• 3/15/2002

To the cook who thought it was flavorless - did you accidently use three cloves as opposed to three heads? Anyway - it worked for me as it is written, good flavor and great in the garlic soup with poached egg recipe that is on this site as well!

• Cynthia

• Dallas, TX

• 1/11/2002

Wow -- maybe I used a completely different recipe than these other folks, but I got nothing but hot water-tasting "soup." Next time I'll just open a can of Swanson's.

• Anonymous

• 3/7/2001

This is one of those instances when simple is best! This is a great base for almost any soup! Any so good on its own. I think Barbara Kafka is a genius!

• arlene casey

• Massachusetts

• 1/14/2001

This is one of those instances when simple is best! This is a great base for almost any soup! Any so good on its own. I think Barbara Kafka is a genius!

• arlene casey

• Massachusetts

• 1/14/2001

This is a great recipe to freeze for a soup stock. A wonderful friend/cook showed be how to peel garlic easily and fast. Just lightly smash the clove with the flat blade of a french knife, this will loosen the outer peel and make it easy to get a hold of. Chop as usual. I found that finely chopping was not necessary as I strained the broth anyway.

• Anonymous

• Mt. Shasta, CA

• 8/8/2000

Delicious!!! I added 1 packet of 2 minute noodles, some chopped red capsicum, lime juice and corriander. Yum! This recipe is so easy and is so versatile, I will be using it as a favourite, just adding a few different ingredients

• Anonymous

• Victoria, Australia

• 7/11/2000

我做了这个,因为我的丈夫生病了,也't eat anything solid. It actually turned out fairly good--I used beef broth instead of just water to add more flavor to it, though. I MIGHT make it again, not sure. The fuss of peeling all those garlic cloves was a little tedious, but I could see this as being a good base for other soups.

• Anonymous

• Dayton, OH

• 5/16/2000

I made this broth to use with the Broccoli Di Rape and Garlic Soup recipe on found here on Epicurious. It took more time than I would of liked because peeling three heads of garlic is time consuming but it was well worth it. Have some Yankee Candles or any other strong scented candles burning while you are cooking and keep them burning afterwards since you do get a strong garlic smell thoughout your house. Use salt and a little water to take the smell off of your hands.

• Janice Giardino

• Virginia Beach, Virginia

• 1/20/2000

I found the broth very bland. I finally added some chicken stock and some ground cumin.

• Anonymous

• Scottsdale, AZ

• 1/19/2000