Sopa de Ajo, or garlic soup, is a traditional Spanish dish. It is made from simple ingredients and can be prepared quickly. Despite its simplicity, the soup is full of aroma and rich flavor.
Ingredients (for a 2 L / 8-cup pot):
- Garlic – 10 cloves
- Stale white bread – 4 slices, 1.5–2 cm thick (~¾ inch)
- Chicken or vegetable broth – 2 l.(8 cups)
- Tomatoes in their own juice (or fresh) – 350 g (~12 oz)
- Chicken eggs – 3 pcs.
- Smoked paprika – 2 tsp
- Olive oil – 50 ml.(~3.5 tbsp)
- Salt – to taste
Cooking process
1. If you don’t have ready-made broth, you’ll need to prepare it. For this soup, either chicken or vegetable broth works well. I often use pre-cooked and frozen broth: after cooling, I pour it into silicone molds. When needed, simply take the required portion of frozen broth. This method is very convenient and saves a lot of time.
2. Peel the garlic and slice it thinly. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the garlic over low heat until it turns light golden brown.
Add the smoked paprika to the garlic, stir well, and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add the diced stale bread to the pan (I use well-dried ciabatta). You can add all the bread at once or divide it into two portions—adding one portion to the pan and reserving the second to serve with the finished soup. I prefer the second method.
Stir the bread cubes with the garlic and sauté everything together for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.
Next, add chopped tomatoes. Mix.
In the classic recipe, tomatoes are not used, but I find that they complement this dish very well.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan into a saucepan with the broth. Bring to a boil and season with salt to taste.
For the final touch, add the eggs. Beat them lightly with a fork, then pour them in a thin stream into the simmering soup, stirring constantly.
Alternatively, you can serve the soup with a cooked poached egg added to each bowl just before serving. Either way, it turns out delicious.
Serve the Spanish garlic soup garnished with the reserved rusks and fresh herbs.
Other delicious soups from around the world:
Ukrainian borscht https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/ukrainian-borscht-according-to-my-grandmothers-recipe/
Hungarian goulash soup https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/hungarian-goulash-soup/
Georgian soup Kharcho https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/georgian-soup-kharcho/
Vietnamese Pho Bo soup https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/pho-bo-soup/