Garlic Soup with Ham

garlicsoupham Omar Allibhoy, the talent behind Tapas Revolution is back with a rustic, traditional garlic soup that is spot on for the winter months.

extra-virgin olive oil (100 mL)
4 large slices white bread
8-10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup Serrano ham, cooked ham, cooked pancetta or cooked bacon, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cube chicken stock, crumbled
1 tsp. sweet pimento or ¾ tsp. Spanish paprika and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup white wine (250 mL)
4 eggs
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Heat a little of the olive oil in a large, wide pan and fry the bread on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool, the chop into small cubes.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the garlic and ham until golden.

Add the bay leaf, stock cube and pimento, stir for 5 seconds before pouring in the white wine. Reduce for about 2 minutes and then add 1 L of water, the chopped bread and seasoning. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Crack eggs into the soup, to poach them, gently stir to avoid the eggs breaking and bring back to a boil until eggs are cooked as desired.

Serve piping hot in soup bowls.

Note: If you have individual heatproof bowls or terracotta dishes, you can serve soup into these and then crack in the egg and place in the oven to bake the eggs.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

In a heavy frying pan, heat the oil and add the garlic. Remember not to slice it too thin because it can burn fast. Keep the cooking temperature at medium heat because olive oil can also burn and leave your dish with a bitter aftertaste.
Before the garlic turns brown, add the cubed ham and the slices of bread sautéing them for a few minutes on medium heat.
Add the sweet paprika, followed by the water and salt. Bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Poach the eggs, carefully breaking them into the soup one at a time. Cover without stirring and let the eggs cook in the soup, for approximately 3-5 minutes.
Once the eggs have the consistency you desire, scoop out the poached eggs one at a time, into soup bowls and then slowly ladle the soup into each bowl. To serve, top each bowl with fresh parsley.

Other Cooking Options:

In this recipe the bread is cooked with the rest of the ingredients, whereas in other parts of Spain, the bread is added at the end to top the bowls.
Some other recipes mix all the ingredients and bake them until there's no liquid left and the preparation resembles a cake more than a soup.
Some prefer to beat the eggs before adding them to the boiling pot, mixing them in by constantly stirring the liquid for a minute of two.
Store-bought chicken or vegetable broth can add extra flavour, but the original recipe uses just water; keeping it so, minus the cured ham, makes this soup a suitable vegetarian option.