It's a made-to-order soup so you can make a bowl for a quick meal, or a larger batch for a group. Perfect for when you are cold, tired, sick, or just feeling left of center during the busy holiday season.
Anna Thomas talks about spending a cold autumn and winter on the Castilian plane in Spain and eating this soup nearly everyday. She says "It is every Castilian abuela's remedy for sniffles and aches all winter long."
Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)
From Love Soup by Anna Thomas
(Serves 1 or Many)
Per Serving:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sweet paprika*
1/2 tsp spicy paprika*
2 cups good vegetable broth
sea salt, if needed
1-1 1/2 oz day-old French or sourdough bread
1 large egg
Have ingredients ready before you start cooking. Peel and slice the garlic, make sure your broth is hot, and have the bread sliced or cubed. Cut or break bread into crouton-sized cubes or chunks. Note: If you are making only one serving of this soup, make it in a small pot or you won't be able to poach the egg properly.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan and saute the garlic over medium heat, stirring, for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until it just starts to color. Remove from the heatand stir in the paprikas, then add the hot broth. Return the pot to the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes. Taste the broth and add a pinch of sea salt if it's needed.
Add the dry bread and simmer for 2 more minutes until the bread softens. Break an egg, slide it genly into the soup and be sure it is fully submerged. If it isn't, ladle some of the simmering broth over it to cook the top. Cook until the white of the egg is opaque but the yolk is still soft, about 3 minutes. Pour the soup into an ample soup bowl and serve at once.
If you are making multiple servings, I suggest you make no more than 3 in one saucepan for ease of handling. To serve, use a large spoon to scoop up a poached egg and place it in the soup bowl, then ladle in the hot broth, bread and garlic.
*Anna Thomas notes to use the freshest paprika you can find--it doesn't have to be expensive--just not old. If you don't have hot paprika, she suggests adding a touch of cayenne to regular paprika.
Notes/Results: This makes the house smell heavenly--the garlic and paprika blending together in perfect harmony. It's quick and delicious with the mix of sweet and hot paprika adding a depth of flavor to the garlic. I had this in the bowl and on the table in less than 15 minutes and enjoyed every bite. I will happily make it again.
We have some good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some delicious dishes last week--let's have a look!
Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared Green Coconut Soup with Fennel and said, "We used to grow it a lot of fennel when we had an allotment and eat it quite a bit. But its been a while. I picked it up with plans to make something else, then ended up throwing it into this Green Vegetable Coconut Soup and I am so glad it did. It made for a wonderful change. Thick, the consistency of Pea Veloute and colour just as vibrant - green and gold."
Tina of Squirrel Head Manor made this hearty, healthy Sweet Potato, Lentil and Spinach Salad and said, "It’s so easy I can put it together in the morning to take to work. Canned lentils are always in the pantry and we usually have sweet potatoes so – winner!"
Mahalo to Shaheen and Tina for joining in this week!
Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...
To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
- Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.
On your entry post (on your blog):
- please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
- you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).
Have a happy, healthy week!
Thank you so much for hosting, hoping to join in again. When I first saw you Sopa de ajo garlic, I thought it was meat in it, then noted it was soughdough bread -i like the look of the soup, the spices, but have never got on well with soggy bread - still I am intrigued, perhaps i can use them as crouton. I also have Anna Thomas cookbook, so will look at the recipe a little more closer, you have peaked my interest indeed.
ReplyDeleteI love sopa de ajo. It's one of the things I make when I am home alone and really need some comfort.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, my friend! I brought you a salad ❤️🎁
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