Spanish Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo) with Bread and Thyme

In Catalonia, when someone states the obvious, we say "garlic soup has already been invented".

Today I made myself a comforting, tasty garlic soup, and it brought back some curious memories.

I discovered garlic soup in my last year at university. I had only one subject left, I was also doing my final-year project, and on top of that I was negotiating an EEC grant to go and work in Italy.

I remember that the subject I had left, Operating Systems, was one of the toughest of the degree — funny to find such a hard nut in fifth year.

During the last month before the February exam (a special sitting just for students with one subject left), at snack time in the afternoon I'd stop studying for a while and make myself a restorative garlic soup — it was like a ritual. I suppose one day I didn't understand something, made it and it did me good, and from then on it became a daily routine to help me study: garlic soup for an afternoon snack. I suppose cooking relaxed me, and the soup made me feel good. In the end: 5.4, and degree finished.

After the story, here's my garlic soup recipe — which, as I said, has already been invented, but I make it my way.

Ingredients for 1 person

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 8–10 very thin slices of stale bread (about two normal slices)
• A sprig of thyme
• 300 ml water
• Olive oil
• Sweet paprika

Method

The simplest thing in the world, but one of the tastiest and healthiest.

Chop the garlic cloves, removing the germ from the inside so they don't repeat on you.

Put some oil in a small pot (remember, it's for one), and when it's hot add the garlic for 1 to 1½ minutes, then add the "sheets" of stale bread. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring well, then add the water, the sprig of thyme and a pinch of paprika.

Wait for it to boil, then leave it over medium heat for about 10–12 minutes, and that's it — done.

To garnish, since I had a few slices of bread left over, I added them with a little black olive pâté (also known as olivada), which goes very well with this soup and livens up the photo too.

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