15-minute meal: Darina Allen's save-your-life garlic soup

Looking for a quick and easy meal to fill a few ravenous tummies this evening? Darina Allen's garlic soup will be ready in under 15 minutes and you probably have most of the ingredients already.

Garlic soup is said to have all sorts of medicinal properties. 

Serves 4

This strictly bare-cupboard Provençal soup is insanely good. The ingredients are nothing more than a lot of garlic, some sage leaves, water, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. 

It takes only 10 to 15 minutes to cook, but when you taste it, you’ll swear it is long-simmered chicken broth.

Like chicken broth, garlic soup is said to have all sorts of medicinal properties. 

It apparently can both prevent and cure hangovers, and even aid digestion. 

It also makes a perfect light lunch or supper on a hot summer day when you don’t much feel like cooking.

Many versions — including this one — add a poached egg, which makes it more of a meal. 

Whisk a beaten egg into the broth to make it creamy.

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic, preferably new-crop, separated into cloves (about 16 medium cloves) and peeled
• 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 12 sage leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1.4 litres (2½ pints) water
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices bread, lightly toasted
• chopped parsley, scallions, or chives

Method

Slice or roughly chop the garlic cloves. Warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. 

Add the garlic and sage and let sizzle a bit without browning, about 2 minutes. 

Season with about 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a brisk simmer. 

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Ladle about an inch of the soup into a skillet and bring to a brisk simmer over medium heat. 

Carefully crack the eggs into the pan and poach for about 3 minutes.

To serve

Place a slice of toast in each soup bowl and top with a poached egg. 

Ladle the soup over the eggs and sprinkle with a little parsley.