Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup)

Sopa de ajo is an incredibly simple Spanish garlic soup that is rustic and comforting. It is easy to make and a staple during colder weather as well as during Semana Santa (Holy Week before Easter).

Garlic soup is something you will find in a few cuisines, where garlic is a main ingredient in what is generally a simple soup.

This is a particularly popular soup in Spain, where there are a few different versions.

The version that is often considered the original is made with broth, garlic, bread, olive oil and usually paprika and eggs.

Castillian garlic soup

This version comes from the Castillian region in Central Spain and is, in fact, sometimes called Castillian soup.

Most other regional versions start with this base and either add one or more other ingredients, such as tomato and green pepper in Rioja, or swap something, like adding cauliflower but leaving out the paprika/pepper.

Old "Castille" is the central region now Castilla-La-Mancha and Castille y Leon. It's an area of high plains and a relatively dry landscape.

This soup is said to have been developed by shepherds to take with them over long travels with their herd. It was a way to use up leftovers and made from easily transported ingredients.

When would you eat sopa de ajo?

These days, sopa de ajo is a popular soup in colder weather.

At times it is served at weddings, though that is less common these days.

In some areas, it's popular during Semana Santa - the week known as Holy Week that is the run up to Easter Sunday. 

Semana Santa traditions in Spain

Spain is pretty well known for its many festivals that vary by region, but Semana Santa is one that is observed across the country.

The biggest celebrations are in the major cities in Andalucia, a region in the South of Spain, with somber processions throughout the streets over a series of days.

Typically the processions involve shrines being carried from churches around the city to the main cathedral and then back to their home church.

The shrines are very heavy and often need ten or more people to carry them.

It is considered an honor to be part of the procession, particularly as a carrier of the shrine, even though this can mean carrying it on your shoulder for a very long time (though they do typically rotate the carriers to ease the burden).

The processions are slow and somber, particularly those held at night (on the Holy Thursday and Good Friday before Easter Sunday, in most cases).

The shrines are lit with candles and many more people carry candles and walk behind the shrines, making the processions quite dramatic to watch.

On Holy Saturday before Easter Sunday, more processions happen during the day, though the exact timings vary from city to city.

For people in the US, the outfits worn by most of the participants of these Semana Santa processions may seem a little too reminiscent of the KKK. But, these are highly historic robes that have been worn for centuries.

Members of different churches typically wear different colors to identify their home church.

It's easy to imagine how a humble yet flavorful soup such as this sopa de ajo fits in well with these celebrations.

And even without this backdrop, this garlic soup is so easy to make and so flavorful, it is definitely one to try, during Holy week or just to chase away the winter chill. Comforting, tasty, it is just the thing to warm you on a cold day.

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Yield: 2 servings

Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup)

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Sopa de ajo is an incredibly simple Spanish garlic soup that is rustic and comforting. It is easy to make and a staple during colder weather as well as during Semana Santa (Holy Week before Easter).

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 oz country-style bread or baguette (around 2 cups of diced bread)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika*
• 3 c stock (chicken or vegetable)
• 1-2 tablespoon fino sherry (or dry white wine)
• Salt, to taste
• 2 eggs
• ½ tablespoon chopped parsley, to garnish

Instructions

1. Peel and slice the garlic and cut the bread into a relatively small dice.
2. Warm the oil over a medium heat in a pan large enough to hold the soup. Add the garlic and soften for a minute.
3. Add the bread cubes, toss in the oil and cook for a couple minutes so they gently brown. Keep a close eye on the garlic so that it doesn't brown too much - if it gets a little brown, remove it from the pan until the bread has browned a little.
4. Once the bread is gently brown, add back the garlic if removed, and add the paprika. Stir to mix. Add the stock and sherry, plus a little salt to taste. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
5. Crack the eggs into the soup, cover the pan and leave around 2 minutes so the eggs lightly poach - you want the whites just cooked but the yolk still soft. If needed, spoon a little of the hot stock over the egg to help cook the top.**
6. Serve the soup with the egg in the middle of the bowl, with the bread and broth around it, and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

Increase the quantities of everything equally for more servings - the method is the same, it will just take a little longer to bring the soup to a simmer.

*You can use smoky or spicy paprika, as you prefer. Sweet would be fine as well, but the flavor is less distinct so the others add more to the flavor of the dish.

**Some versions add the egg more as egg drop - if you prefer this, gently beat the eggs before adding. Stir the soup so it is moving a bit, then add the egg and continue to stir so it cooks and separates at the same time. If you choose this method, you will probably need less eggs (even half) but you can judge to taste.

Some versions add some serrano ham into the soup, crisping it slightly with the bread or as a garnish so feel free to add some (or other variations as mentioned above).

Caroline

Caroline lived and traveled various places before settling in Cambridge, MA. She still fits in some travel with her family, but often settles for traveling through food instead. She shares her recipes at CarolinesCooking.com, where there's plenty of international inspiration using seasonal ingredients, as well as creative recipes for all to enjoy. Caroline is originally from Scotland, where she grew up hiking and skiing, both things she still loves to do when her two young boys give her a chance. You can follow along with her cooking adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

www.carolinescooking.com/