Cuisine:

Spanish

“My family would travel by car from Zaragoza to Madrid for Christmas. On the way, we would stop in Medinaceli to eat a bowl of this garlic soup. Temperatures drop at that time of year, so a hot bowl of soup was welcome,” says Pablo. You will need 6 x 10cm deep ramekins.

Ingredients

80ml (⅓ cup) lard or olive oil
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tsp sweet paprika
2 thick slices jamón* or prosciutto, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
6 slices Vienna or stale white bread, crusts removed, chopped
1.5L hot chicken stock
6 eggs

Preparation

Heat 2 tbsp lard in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and paprika, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden.

Add remaining 2 tbsp lard and jamón, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until jamón is softened. Add tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes or until softened. Add bread and stir until well combined. Stir in 250ml stock and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until almost absorbed. Repeat with another 250ml stock, then add remaining 1L stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until soup has reduced by one-third and thickened.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160°C. Season soup with salt and pepper, and spoon into 6 x 10cm deep ramekins. Break an egg in the centre of each and place in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until egg white has set and yolk is cooked as desired. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.

*Jamón, available from delis, is a type of Spanish cured ham.

DRINK 1999 R. López de Heredia ‘Viña Gravonia’ Viura

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 10, pg90.

Photography by John Reyment.