Castilian Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo)

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice 40 g garlic thinly. Cut 150 g stale crusty bread into 2 cm bite-sized cubes. Warm 1000 ml vegetable stock in a separate small saucepan. Set a deep medium pot on the stove and get a wooden spoon ready.

2. 2

   Pour 60 ml olive oil into the pot over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. The garlic should turn light golden and aromatic, but do not let it brown or it turns bitter.

3. 3

   Add the 150 g stale bread cubes directly into the oil with the garlic. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so the bread evenly absorbs the fragrant oil and gets lightly toasted around the edges.

4. 4

   Take the pot off the heat briefly. Sprinkle 10 g sweet smoked paprika over the toasted bread and stir rapidly for 30 seconds. Taking it off heat prevents the delicate paprika from scorching and becoming bitter.

5. 5

   Return the pot to the stove, pour in 1000 ml warm vegetable stock, and add 5 g salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until the bread softens into a rich broth.

6. 6

   Lower heat to low. Gently crack 4 eggs one by one directly into the simmering soup. Stir whites softly for 3 minutes until whites turn opaque and set, keeping yolks intact and runny. Ladle hot into warm bowls.