How to make
Castilian garlic soup (Sopa de ajo castellana) is popular throughout Spain, although it originates from Leon and Zamora.
It was prepared in times of extreme poverty, when families had only limited products from the area in which they lived in, which they were able to create this nutritious, warming and delicious soup with.
There are several variations depending on the capabilities of the family and the taste of the chef who makes it. Here is the classic recipe for Castilian garlic soup.
Peel the garlic cloves and finely chop them. Some also cut them into thin slices. Fry them in olive oil, until they release their aroma.
Diced or shredded jamon or other dried meat is added (the poorest families did not add any meat in most cases). Fry everything for about 5 minutes and remove the cookware from the heat. Add the paprika and smoked paprika and stir for no more than 30 seconds.
Pour the broth or water, flavor it with a bay leaf and black pepper and leave the soup to boil for 20 minutes under a lid.
When it's ready, beat two of the eggs and stir them, so that they become lumpy. I poached the other two eggs right inside the soup and I like them to stay whole. If you are going to serve it for more people, add that many whole poached eggs.
Another very good way is to separate the whites from the yolks of all the eggs and put only the whites in the hot soup, stir, so that they lump up and before serving, place one yolk in each bowl. Everyone stirs their bowl and their soup becomes slightly creamy.
The bread is baked with a little olive oil and also added to the soup. It is usually left to soften and soak inside, but I like it crispier and I don't wait for it to fall apart. And again, I'll give you another option for the bread. It is often fried at the beginning along with the garlic and it is boiled in the dish, which logically makes it a bit mushy. You can choose how want it.
Enjoy your meal!
