Sopa de Ajo - Castilian Garlic Soup

Sopa de ajo is a very old, peasant-style dish and is typical of the Castilla-Leon Regional Cuisine, where the winters are cold and soups and stews are eaten daily. Castilla is the "land of bread" and it is bought fresh daily. However, a Spanish cook would never serve it stale, so this recipe is a good way to use any stale bread that is left over from yesterday’s meals.

Learn more about how to buy the freshest garlic, store it properly and keep your hands from smelling of it by reading our article Garlic - Essential Ingredient of Spanish Food.

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 1/2 ounces Spanish cured ham, (subsitute cured ham like Virginia ham) cut into 1/4” cubes
• 2-3 slices of day-old French-style bread, medium size - 4" x 2-1/2" x 1"
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 quart water
• salt to taste
• 6 eggs

Serves 6.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add not-too-thinly sliced garlic. Before the garlic turns brown, add the cubed ham and the slices of bread. Sauté for a few minutes on medium heat.

Add the sweet paprika, followed by the water and salt. Bring to a slow boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes.

To poach the eggs, carefully add eggs to the soup one at a time.

Scoop out poached eggs one at a time into soup bowls. Then, slowly ladle the soup into each bowl.

Serves 6

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