A Very Special Meal For A Very Special Guest

One day, Marash Boy and Marash Girl invited a very special guest for Friday evening dinner at their home on Beacon Hill ... an Armenian man who had done much for the Armenian community. As a way of honoring their guest, Marash Girl wanted to prepare what she believed to be a special meal. She spent a good hour peeling fresh whole garlic cloves to make an Armenian garlic soup that was, as she understood from Digin Azniv (her husband's mom), a soup that only folks from Marash were adept at making. (The soup, as Marash Girl remembers, was simply a rich homemade beef broth with only peeled whole cloves of garlic serving as the vegetable.) Unfortunately for her guest and for Marash Girl, the gentleman was allergic to garlic. Marash Girl had never known then (and since then) of an Armenian allergic to garlic, but just in case, she has never prepared Armenian Garlic Soup since. N.B. The incident described above took place many years ago. Should you love garlic and want to try making the soup yourself, simply prepare a rich beef broth and add 30 to 40 cloves of freshly peeled whole garlic cloves for the vegetable. Simmer for another half hour. . . season to taste with salt, a bit of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch Armenian red pepper. Please check with your dinner guests before serving! Or better yet, check with your dinner guests before preparing!!!