There are nights when the whispered possibility of a cold cereal dinner is all too real. This is a soup for such times, when the coffers are dry and so is the bread on the counter. Modeled after Ferran Adria’s version of Spanish sopa de ajo from his book The Family Meal, this soup boasts a silky texture that belies the fact that it is essentially puréed toast. With help from pantry stars like onion, garlic, and olive oil, the soup is refined, elegant, and good enough to serve to your parents and hide the fact that your bank account is overdrawn. Garlic-spiked parsley and sunny fried eggs make for a punchy, stunning finish.
Sliced white bread will absorb a lot of oil (you’d have to add more while cooking the onion) and leave the resulting soup a little lacking in body, but it can be used if that’s all you have. My preference is skinny baguettes, the ones that inevitably turn dry not two hours after you bring them home from the store. Their high ratio of golden crust, full of caramelized proteins and sugar, to spongy interior adds even more flavor to the soup. Stay away from dark multigrain or seeded breads, which will slump into unforgiving goop.
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What you’ll need
Immersion Blender
$100 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$100 $94 At Amazon
Large Nonstick Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup (loosely packed) finely chopped parsley, and a large pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl to combine. Set garlic mixture aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
Step 2
Heat ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Working in batches if needed, add 8 oz. baguette or country-style bread, halved lengthwise, cut side down, and cook until deep golden brown underneath, 5–8 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer bread to a plate, leaving oil behind.
Step 3
Reduce heat to low. Add 1 medium onion, sliced, and 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, to pot and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened and golden brown around the edges, 5–8 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon paste, 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and 5 cups water. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer. Tear toasted bread into large (about 3") pieces and add to pot. Increase heat to medium-high, cover, and cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until bread is swollen and very soft, 15–18 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Using an immersion blender, carefully blend soup in pot until very smooth. (Alternatively, you can blend in batches in a regular blender, transferring to a medium bowl as you go. Return soup to pot before proceeding.) Return pot to medium-low heat and reheat soup, stirring and thinning with more water if needed (soup should be the consistency of heavy cream). Stir in 1 tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar; season with freshly ground pepper. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.
Step 5
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Crack 3 large eggs into skillet and cook until whites are just set, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and 3 large eggs.
Step 6
Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a fried egg and some reserved garlic mixture. Season with more pepper. Finely grate Parmesan or Manchego cheese over if desired.
