Julia Child’s Garlic Soup (Aigo Bouido)

🧄 What makes this recipe special?

The literal translation of the Aigo Bouido recipe is “boiled water” in Provencal. There is, however, much more to this recipe in terms of flavor and comfort. As indicated in the title of this post, we have garlic in this soup, but we also have some delicious herbs that really bring something special to the mix. 

The base of it is just boiled garlic and herbs. A very simple but garlic-heavy broth. It makes our house smell spectacular and really is a treat.

If you are looking for other interesting soups, give this Caldo De Queso soup recipe a try or this Knoephla Soup recipe. Perhaps this hearty polish sauerkraut and sausage soup will be a hit at your house like it is in mine. This recipe would pair fantastically with this Baked Walleye with White Wine Sauce. Whatever you make, make sure to treat yourself.

🌿 Ingredients

Garlic is this dish’s star, but a few more ingredients pull this together. 

• Cloves garlic
• Water
• Salt & Pepper
• Cloves
• Sage
• Thyme
• Bay leaf
• Parsley
• Egg yolks
• Olive Oil (NOT Extra Virgin) or neutral flavored oil.

See the recipe card for quantities.

For the herbs, I suggest fresh, but also give quantities for dry herbs. This is such a lovely dish that it deserves fresh stuff when you can.

We also make our own mayonnaise that goes with this. You can use store-bought. 

🍲 Instructions

The basic instructions are to simmer the heck out of a bunch of garlic and herbs. Then, add it to mayonnaise. The herbs and garlic mix well with the broth to make an excellent, creamy French dish.

This recipe includes making homemade mayonnaise and then ladling the garlic broth. I had not made a soup in this manner before, but it makes sense when you taste it. 

It almost gives it a creamed soup richness and texture to it, but with no dairy. So, if the idea of using mayo in this garlic soup gives you second thoughts about making it, don’t worry. It is good and worth it.

The soup is great, but I do think it needs a crispy side to go along with it. Serve it with toasted bread or maybe even croutons. I used my homemade bread and put it in my toaster oven with butter and parmesan cheese for a few minutes. 

It really gave an excellent accompaniment to the recipe, and while I do not include it here, I suggest you add some crispy starch, like toast, as a side to this soup.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

While I mostly stay true to the original recipe, I think there is some wiggle room with this. The broth will take on the profile of garlic and the herbs used. 

I advise trying this recipe as-is but then adding and removing your herbs as you see fit. The one spice that I thought might not fit well, but the recipe calls for, is cloves. 

To my surprise, it really added quite a bit of awesome to the recipe. The flavor is great and complements this soup well.

• Fresh Herbs – I use fresh herbs, but I also provide some measurements for dry herbs. 
• Amount and Type of Herbs – If you don’t like a specific herb, leave it out! If you want more of another, bring it in!
• Mayonnaise – This uses homemade mayonnaise, but you can also use store-bought mayo.

📦 Storage

This recipe is best served fresh. It would keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but I wouldn’t go much past that. 

🎓 History tidbit

I picked up this book about Julia Child not knowing what to expect, and I love her story. She didn’t even graduate from cooking school until she was in her late 30s. Her first book was published when she was 49. 

She seemed to have an openness and curiosity about the world I admire. It is never too late to follow one’s dreams, passions and to live life to the fullest. That is what I get from Julia Child.

Here I am… a middle-aged guy still learning, trying to follow my dreams and passions. Just like Julia Child seemed to continue to do throughout her life. And she did it so well.

I find other foodie authors inspiring, and Julia Child is now among them. I love Anthony Bourdain, as he opened worlds of unique and exciting cuisines to me and the inner workings of the professional kitchen.

I love Jim Harrison, as he writes about food and eating in such a beautiful and unapologetically indulgent way. Harrison is probably best known for writing Legends of the Fall, but also writes some stunning food stories. 

I love Julia for her passion for French cooking and meticulous research in making great French food for Americans. I love her for this soup.

I have this suspicion that my love might go beyond this soup. Last Christmas, my wife gifted me Julia Child’s cookbooks. I have not been disappointed. The Julia Child Foundation is probably where I will take my next steps.

❓ FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Since this recipe has so few ingredients, the ingredients you use are important. Find nice looking herbs and garlic for the recipe.
• If you don’t want to make fresh mayo, you could substitute 1/4 to 1/3 cup store-bought mayo into this recipe, although I have not tested it.
• Serve with a nice toast or bread as a side dish.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• Fine Strainer
• Soup Pot
• The Art of French Cooking

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Garlic Soup recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.