ST GILES - FEAST DAY 1st SEPTEMBER - SOUPE BASQUE


ST GILES FEAST DAY 1st SEPTEMBER

SOUPE BASQUE 


St Giles is one of the fourteen holy helpers whose intercession is believed to be particularly effective against disease – at that time, against the black death, perhaps now, against the epidemic.

He founded the Benedictine abbey in St Gilles-du-Gard, in the seventh century, placing it under the rule. He was known for his holiness and miracles and his tomb became a pilgrimage on the way of St James from Arles to Santiago de Compostela. His cult was particularly strong in the Languedoc region of France.
He lived from 650-710AD and, for a large portion of his life, lived as a hermit near Arles, withdrawing deep into the forest in solitude, where his sole companion was a red deer. The king’s hunters who pursued the deer, attempted to shoot her. Katherine Burton tells the story:
“But the deer ran to St Giles for protection and the arrow pierced his leg. So, a cripple himself, he became the patron saint of the lame. His relics are honoured at St Gilles, the town that sprang up around his abbey, where pilgrimages take place even today.
In England, churches named for St Giles were built so that cripples could reach them easily and he was also considered the chief patron of the poor.
That his name was known for charity granted to the most miserable is shown from the custom that convicts, on their passage to Tyburn for execution, were allowed to stop at St Giles’ Hospital, where they were presented with a bowl of ale called St Giles’ bowl – ‘thereof to drink at their pleasure, as their last refreshing in this life.’ “
Katherine Burton relates a custom in Spain where the shepherds consider St Giles the protector of rams. On his feast day it was the custom to wash the wool of the rams in different colours, tie lighted candles to their horns and lead the animals down the mountain paths to the chapels and churches to have them blessed.
She stated that “a similar custom prevails among the Basques. On September 1st, the shepherds come down from the Pyrenees, attired in their full costume, sheepskin coats and staves and crooks, to attend Mass with their best rams, in honour of St Giles.”
She included a Recipe for Soupe Basque, but I have set out a different Basque Soup, taken from Basque Country, by Marti Buckley, Artisan Books (2018), (reproduced from foodandwine.com), because it looks and sounds delicious. I have included some of the commentary below:
“Basque Garlic Soup, or sopa de ajo, is a balm for a cold day. It’s a piping hot bowl of garlicky, smoky broth, filled with tendrils of eggs and thickened with bread, heightened with a splash of sherry vinegar. This version, from writer and cookbook author Marti Buckley, calls for bread that’s very well-toasted—almost burnt—in olive oil to add body and roasted depth. The piquant broth is infused with an entire head of garlic. Best of all, it comes together in under an hour and tastes even better the day after it’s made.
Some recipes call for poached eggs to gently float in each bowl of soup, but scrambling infuses each bite with flavour and adds a beautiful texture to the broth. Stirring the beaten egg into the hot soup spreads those delicate wisps of egg throughout the and thickens it up, giving just enough bite. Paired with the smoky paprika, the soup almost tastes meaty.”
BASQUE SOUP
INGREDIENTS
[Serves 6]
Baguette
½ cup olive oil
1 garlic head (12 cloves), peeled and finely chopped
1 heaped tablespoon Pimenton de la Vera (smoked Spanish Paprika)
2 litres chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 eggs, beaten
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place baguette on a baking sheet and cook till almost burnt, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Break or slice bread into 2 inch pieces.
2 Heat 7 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread pieces and reduce heat to medium. Cook, turning to allow bread to soak up oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove bread and set aside. Wipe pot clean.
3 Add garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until garlic is brown, (30 secs to 1 minute). Stir in paprika. Add stock and salt- bring to a boil.
4 Add bread to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, and maintain a simmer. Add vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally to break up bread, until flavours meld, about 25 minutes. Season if needed.
5 When serving, bring soup to a simmer over low-medium heat. Stirring constantly, slowly pour beaten eggs into hot soup. Serve

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