Crock-Pot Sopa de Ajo (Castilian Garlic Soup)

(Claire Bullen)

Is there any single food associated with warmth, healing, and comfort more frequently than chicken soup? Moms, old wives, and the majority of culinary cultures around the world agree: Whether you're under the weather, battling the incoming winter chill, or simply feeling out of sorts, nothing else feels as restorative as a steaming bowl of the stuff.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

Total Time:9 hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 heads of garlic (approximately 40 cloves)

4 tablespoon olive oil

salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

1 large yellow onion, diced

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish

pinch of saffron

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

3 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

4 cup chicken broth

4 eggs, poached

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small glass baking dish, place 30 unpeeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle over with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, mixing to ensure that the garlic is evenly coated.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast the garlic for approximately 30 minutes, until it is soft and golden-hued.

While the garlic is roasting, peel and mince the remaining 10 cloves of garlic.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan; once hot, add the garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant (but not browned). Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Once the garlic has finished roasting, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Gently unpeel the cloves and set aside (the peels should come off very easily). Discard the garlic peels.

In a crock pot, add the sautéed garlic and onion mixture, the roasted garlic, and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the eggs, and adding more salt and pepper to taste at this stage. Stir to ensure the ingredients are evenly combined.

Cook in the crockpot on low heat for 6-8 hours, stirring very occasionally if possible, until the potatoes are falling apart. Break up any remaining large potato pieces with a wooden spoon or a fork.

When the soup has finished cooking, ladle into 4 bowls. Top each with a freshly poached egg and an extra pinch of paprika for color.