Spanish Garlic Soup

Garlic is the featured herb for 2004 and has always been a favorite at Willow Pond Farm. The following recipe is guaranteed to stave off winter's chills. Our family once had a five-day stay in Madrid in late December (searching for the sun), where it was cold and rainy everyday-except for the day it snowed! This Spanish garlic soup was not only delicious but it warmed us; we ate it at least once a day and survived without chilblains. For a more filling dish, try it with the eggs.

7 cups chicken broth
¼ lb. cured ham diced in ¼ inch cubes
2 beef bones
1 Tbs. paprika
1 garlic bulb separated into cloves
8 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
4 sprigs parsley (try the more flavorful flat-leaf vartiety)
½ tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices French bread sliced ¼ inch thick
2 1/2 - 3 Tbs olive oil
4 eggs (optional)

In large pot, combine broth, bones, unpeeled garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain into another pot (you should have about 6 cups). In a medium-sized frying pan, saute the chopped garlic in 1 Tbs. oil until lightly golden. Add ham and cook for another minute. Stir in paprika and cumin; remove from heat. Add this mixture to the soup and simmer.

In a 350 F oven, bake bread slices that have been brushed on both sides lightly with remaining oil. Bake for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden on both sides. Put toasted bread in soup tureen and pour in hot soup.

If adding eggs, slip them carefully into a heatproof tureen or bowls of soup and bake at 450 F until set, about 3-4 minutes. Serves 4.