Last night I watched good old Rick Stein having a wonderful time in Spain. One recipe that caught my eye was Garlic soup they make in the Castilla-Leon region. I immediately thought ” This would be wonderful to have in Winter”.
Garlic is probably the best food out there to keep viruses and bacteria away from us due to it’s high content of Allicin and sulfur compounds which get activated as it is chopped or chewed. Whenever I feel the cold coming I make sure I start taking garlic capsules along with Zinc in liquid form. The active compounds may also lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. And it goes into every dish in our house.
Recipe by SBS.com.au
Garlic soup (sopa de ajo)
Ingredients
- 2 tbspolive oil, plus extra, to serve
- 5cloves garlic, finely slices
- 3 tspsweet paprika, plus extra, to serve
- 100 gthickly sliced jamon, prosciutto or pancetta, cut into ½ cm cubes
- 3tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 200 g(6 slices) day-old vienna or sourdough bread, crusts removed, cut into ½ cm cubes
- 1 ½ litreshot chicken stock
- 4eggs
Cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Instructions
The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.
Preheat the oven to 170˚C.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic and cook for 3 minutes until aromatic. Add the paprika and jamon and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the fat starts to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes and the bread and cook for 5 minutes until the bread absorbs the tomato juice. Add ⅓ of the stock and cook for 6–7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the stock is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining stock in two more batches. After adding the final one-third of the stock, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the soup thickens. Season to taste.
Divide the soup among 4 shallow, heat-proof bowls. Crack an egg into the centre of each bowl and place in the oven for 13–15 minutes until the white is just set but the yolk is still runny.
Serve immediately sprinkled with extra paprika and drizzled with olive oil.
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/garlic-soup-sopa-de-ajo-0