Garlic Soup (Florida Cooking)

This is Florida’s Spanish-inflected take on sopa de ajo, the rustic Castilian garlic soup that peasant cooks have stretched one clove, one slice of bread, and one egg into dinner with for centuries. Hot chicken broth hits crushed garlic sauteed in olive oil and poured over French bread, and then a whole egg cracks into the bowl and poaches in the steaming broth in just a couple of minutes.

The bread softens and breaks apart into the broth. The egg yolk stays loose enough to stir through at the first spoonful, enriching the whole soup into something silky and more than the sum of six ingredients. A scatter of parsley and grated parmesan is the only finish you need.

Chef Tips

• Saute the garlic only until golden, never brown. Burnt garlic in a soup this minimal reads loud and bitter, and there is nowhere for the flavor to hide.
• Use day-old crusty bread. Fresh bread turns pasty; stale bread holds its structure under the hot broth for a satisfying bite.
• Crack the egg into a small cup first, then slide it into the broth. This prevents shell fragments and keeps the yolk intact.
• Pour the boiling broth over the egg carefully so the hot liquid sets the whites evenly without breaking the yolk.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the oil for a more Spanish sopa de ajo profile.
• Finish with a splash of dry sherry just before the egg for a more classic Castilian version.
• Top with a poached egg instead of cracking it in if you prefer a cleaner presentation.