About the Recipe
Sopa de Ajo is a traditional soup from the Castilla y León region of Spain, with roots in rural and monastic cuisine. It is made by frying slices of stale bread and garlic in olive oil, adding sweet paprika (pimentón), and then simmering in water or a light meat broth. The soup is traditionally finished by poaching eggs directly in the hot liquid. It originated as a simple, cheap, and restorative meal, often eaten during Lent. It is served as a hearty first course (primer plato), especially in cold weather.
Ingredients
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
300 grams stale country bread, cut into small cubes
100 grams serrano ham, thinly sliced
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
750 ml hot chicken stock
750 ml hot water
4 free-range large eggs
Salt
Preparation
Step 1
In a medium size casserole pan, heat the oil and fry the serrano ham until crispy. Drain and set aside. Lower the heat, add the chopped garlic and fry gently without colouring for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped bread and stir well making sure you coat the bread in the flavoured oil.
Step 2
Remove the pan from the heat and add the smoked paprika so you stop it from burning, stir the mix well until all the bread is coated. Add the hot chicken stock and water, bring to the boil, season with salt and simmer without boiling for 20 minutes. You will need to keep on beating the soup with a whisk to help the bread thicken the soup.
Step 3
Just before serving, bring the sopa de ajo to the boil and crack one by one your four eggs into the soup, lower the heat and poach them gently for 3 minutes, be careful not to break them. Garnish with the crispy serrano ham and serve with some crusty bread a glass of red wine.