From a 100 million miles away, the Mars Curiosity Rover takes a picture of the planet earth. There it is just a little dot in space. The caption of the photo reads ~ Prepare to feel small. How insignificant the earth seems from such a distance! I think it is good to remember our smallness in the midst of the infiniteness that is, but what a different feeling we have of earth when our perspective is standing on the beach looking out at the sea or seeing a sunrise from some magnificent mountain top. We as individuals still feel small, but it is with the sense of how grand the earth is. So, it is possible to be both insignificant and grand at the same time. This thought makes me happy for some reason. I think it can be applied to so many things and to people themselves. What seems insignificant from afar or in the midst of so many other things can be so wonderful when it is brought close.
Today I made Sopa Castellana or Sopa de Ajo con Huevos. This is a soup born of poverty and expedience. Castilian shepherds created this dish when they had to travel long distances and needed a dish that would warm them up on cold winter nights and give them energy. From afar it might not seem to be anything special just stock, old bread, paprika, garlic, olive oil and eggs, but come closer. This soup is incredibly satisfying and healthy. The releasing of the creamy yoke into the broth creates a rich yet homey taste that rests easy in the mouth and belly.
I have slightly adapted Recipe 130 of the cookbook 1080 Recipes. I have also halved the recipe so it would serve only two or three. For me, this soup is best on the day it is made, so I didn’t want any leftovers.
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 ½ oz day old bread, sliced in 1 ½ cubes
3 cloves garlic
½ tbsp onion, chopped
½ tsp Spanish paprika
3 ¼ cups of chicken stock, boiling hot
1 sprig fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs
Salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add bread cubes when hot.
Fry until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil and add the onions and cloves of garlic and cook on medium low stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and garlic cloves are slightly browned.
Remove garlic from the pan and the pan from the heat.
Add paprika and stir.
Place the fried bread in an oven proof casserole pan that can be used on the stove and pour onion mixture over the top.
Pour in the boiling chicken stock, add parsley, season with salt, and stir well.
Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 7 minutes until a crust forms.
Remove from the oven and crack 3 eggs onto crust.
Return to the oven and bake until the whites are just set.
Serve immediately.
¡Enjoy!
Sopa Castellana (Garlic Soup with Eggs)
Ingredients
- ½ cups Olive Oil
- 2-½ ounces weight Day Old Bread, Sliced In 1 ½ Cubes
- ½ Tablespoons Onion Chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic Peeled
- ½ teaspoon Spanish Paprika
- 3-¼ cups Chicken Stock Boiling Hot
- 1 sprig Fresh Parsley Chopped
- 3 Eggs
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add bread cubes when hot. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove bread from skillet and drain on paper towels.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the skillet and add the onions and cloves of garlic and cook on medium low stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and garlic cloves are slightly browned. Remove garlic from the pan and discard. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the paprika to the onions; stir.
- Place the fried bread in an oven proof 2-quart casserole pan that can be used on the stove and pour onion mixture over the top. Pour in the boiling chicken stock, add parsley, season with salt, and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 7 minutes until a crust forms. Remove it from the oven and crack 3 eggs onto the crust. Return to the oven and bake until the egg whites are just set.
I love food! I read cookbooks like they were novels. I get giddy in a farmer’s market. I find a chicken in a pot surrounded by carrots, onion, and celery a thing of beauty. My favorite sound is Mmmmmmmm!
Sounds amazing! I definitely want to try this! Thanks!
Thanks, Abby!
This is not an authentic “Sopa Castellana”. It’s missing chorizo and jamon and the method is also wrong. You should say that it’s inspired by… rather than it is…
Read my post before commenting
Wow – never saw this in my travels in Spain – almost enough to make me go back! Love it.
Thank you! Any excuse to get to Spain! 😀
Sure your soup is very tasty, but nothing near to the authentic Castilian soup: we use old loaf bread without friying it, no parsley, no onion, no chicken stock. Only bread, water, garlic, paprika, eggs and olive oil. and some grains of cumin too.
I’ve seen many different “authentic” versions of this soup. I mentioned in my post that this was an adaptation and to me it doesn’t seem far from the authentic version you describe.