Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)

A rustic soup where golden garlic infuses intense olive oil. Stale bread softens into a thick, comforting texture, heightened by the warmth of smoked paprika and the silkiness of a poached egg.

• Prep time: 10 min
• Cook time: 20 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 521
• Protein: 24 g
• Carbs: 30 g
• Fat: 33 g

Ingredients

• 8 piece Garlic ( thinly sliced )
• 6 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g Country bread ( stale, torn into pieces )
• 100 g Serrano ham ( diced small )
• 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
• 1.5 L Mineral water
• 4 piece Egg
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 1.5 L Chicken broth ( hot )

Instructions

1. Garlic preparation

   Peel the garlic cloves and slice them into regular slices. They should not be too thin to avoid burning instantly during cooking.

2. Browning the garlic

   Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the garlic. As soon as the slices turn golden and a nutty aroma escapes, the garlic is ready.

3. Toasting the bread and ham

   Add the diced ham and the torn bread. Stir so that the bread is completely soaked in the flavored oil and begins to brown slightly.

4. Adding liquid and simmering

   Sprinkle the smoked paprika, stir quickly and pour in the chicken broth immediately. Salt lightly. Let simmer so that the bread shreds and binds the broth.

5. Poaching the eggs

   Crack the eggs one by one onto the surface of the broth. Cover and let poach for two minutes: the white should surround the yolk, which must remain perfectly runny.

Chef's tips

• Use 2 or 3-day-old stale bread; it will soak up the broth better without dissolving completely.
• Never let the garlic brown too much; the bitterness would ruin the entire soup.

Storage

Eat immediately. The bread continues to absorb the liquid and the soup loses its texture as it cools.