Chilote Garlic Cream Soup with Changles — Southern Chilean Recipe

Versión en Español

Chilote garlic cream soup with changles is a smooth soup of milk soaked bread, bacon, onion, and Chiloé giant garlic simmered in chicken broth, blended, seasoned with nutmeg and merkén, and topped with changles, a wild coral mushroom from southern Chile, sautéed in oil. It takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, and serves 4.

An original recipe from southern Chile, ideally served with freshly made Mapuche catutos.

How to Make Chilote Garlic Soup with Changles?

It is an autumn dish in Chile, when changles appear in the dark, damp forests of the south. The bread soaks in milk, the bacon, onion, and garlic are sautéed, the bread and broth are added and simmered, and everything is blended smooth and topped with sautéed changles.

Nutritional Information

Each serving of chilote garlic soup with changles contains approximately 300 kcal, 10 g of protein, 18 g of fat, 30 mg of cholesterol, 25 g of carbohydrates, 5 g of sugars, 3 g of fiber, and 500 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Homemade Chilote Garlic Cream Soup with Changles Recipe

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 700 ml (3 cups) of milk
• 500 ml (2 cups) of chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons of chopped Chilote garlic (Chiloé giant garlic)
• 6 changle mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons of chopped bacon
• 3 tablespoons of chopped onion
• 4 slices of sandwich bread
• Nutmeg
• Oil for frying
• Merkén (Mapuche smoked chili)
• Fine salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, place the crumbled sandwich bread, cover with the milk, and let soak for about 10 minutes. In a medium pot, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat in its own fat for about 3 minutes.

2. Add the chopped onion and Chilote garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the soaked bread and the chicken broth, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
3. Pour the warm mixture into a blender or hand blender cup and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, add a pinch of nutmeg and merkén, season with salt and pepper, and keep over very low heat. In a medium skillet, heat a splash of oil over high heat.

4. Sauté the changles for a couple of minutes until lightly golden. Serve the soup in individual clay bowls and arrange the sautéed changles on top. Sprinkle with an extra pinch of merkén if you like and serve, ideally with freshly made catutos.

Additional Tips

Add cream

For extra smoothness, stir in a little heavy cream at the end of cooking.

Make it smokier

Replace the bacon with pancetta or add a touch of smoked olive oil when sautéing the changles.

Strain for silkiness

Blend at high speed for a couple of minutes and pass the soup through a fine sieve for a restaurant texture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are catutos and how are they served?

Catutos, or mültrün, are a traditional Mapuche preparation of cooked and ground wheat shaped into small logs. They are served fried or toasted and are the perfect, ancestral side for dipping into this hot soup.

2. Can I use regular garlic instead of Chilote garlic?

Yes, but regular garlic is much stronger. Use half the amount and remove the green germ so the flavor does not overpower the delicate changles.

3. Can I make a meat free version?

Yes. Leave out the bacon, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil, and use homemade vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. The bread and milk keep the soup creamy.

4. Which bread is best?

Crustless white sandwich bread falls apart easily and gives a smooth texture, but day old pan amasado or marraqueta crumb also works if well soaked.

What Is Chilote Garlic?

Chilote garlic, or ajo chilote, is a giant, mild garlic grown in Chiloé and southern Chile. Botanically closer to leeks, it has huge cloves with a gentle flavor that is ideal for creamy soups.

Benefits of Garlic

Garlic contains antioxidant compounds such as allicin and is traditionally valued for its antimicrobial properties.

Did You Know?

Changles are wild coral mushrooms native to southern Chile, found mainly in the damp forests of the Maule, Biobío, Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos regions.

Recommended

• Catutos or Mültrün Mapuche Recipe
• Chilean Changles with Noodles Recipe
• Homemade Preserved Chilote Garlic Recipe
• Chilean Cream of Corn Soup Recipe