Sopa de Ajo con Huevos

Historically a peasant soup of boiled broth, garlic, and yesterday's bread, this Castilian-Leonese dish is hearty and delicious, perfect for a 2am snack or light afternoon meal on a cold day. Quite garlicy and spicy, if those qualities aren't your idea of a good time, this is not for you.

Sopa de Ajo con Huevos

True to tradition, this recipe is an authentic approach, modulo the sherry and the Manchego—my attempts to create a more complex dish. One can certainly skip the La Manchan cheese, but you deserve the Sherry.

Makes four soup course-sized servings.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves plus 8 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced
about 1/2 a French baguette, cut into a 2" dice
1/2 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon hot paprika (pimentón picante)
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry Spanish Sherry
4 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh chive, chopped
1/4 cup Manchego, preferably Artesano (raw) and viejo (well aged), grated
gray salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 4 cloves worth of minced garlic. Toss until well coated. Arrange on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Return to the mixing bowl and toss with 1/2 teaspoon each of sweet and hot paprika.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Spices, Mise en Place

In a large dutch oven or sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until lightly brown. Add the ground cayenne pepper and the remaining sweet and hot paprika.

Immediately add the chicken stock and Sherry. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust salt if needed. Cook for 60 seconds to incorporate flavors.

Add the croutons to the soup. Let return to a boil.

Arrange four oven-proof soup bowls or earthenware on a baking sheet. Divide the soup among the bowls. Break one egg into a small dish and then gently slide into a bowl, resting the egg on a crouton. Repeat for each bowl. Place in oven and bake until the whites set but the yoke remains runny, about five minutes.

Plated and Garnished

Remove baking sheet from oven and place each bowl on a plate. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped chive and grated Manchego. Pairs well with a medium-bodied English ale.