Sopa de Ajo — Traditional Spanish Garlic Soup with Toasted Bread and Poached Eggs

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 150 g day-old country bread, cut into cubes
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1.2 liters hot meat or vegetable stock
• 4 eggs
• Salt to taste
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (or clay dish) over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic slices and sauté for 2–3 minutes until golden — be careful not to burn them, or they turn bitter.
3. Add the paprika, stir quickly for 20–30 seconds, then immediately add the bread cubes and toss so they absorb the oil.
4. Pour in the hot stock and salt, lower the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
5. Crack the eggs into the soup one by one, cover the pot and cook for 3–4 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks stay soft.
6. Serve hot in clay bowls, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Time: 10 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking (about 35 minutes total). Servings: 4.