Sopa de Ajo Castellana

Sopa de Ajo Castellana belongs to Castile, the hard inland country where bread is never thrown away and garlic is allowed to do honest work. Day-old bread, sliced garlic, pimentón, broth or water, and an egg. That is the dish. It isn't a rich stew pretending to be poor. It is poor cooking that knows exactly what it is doing.

The step that decides it is the pimentón. Fry the garlic until it is pale gold, not brown, add the bread so it drinks the oil, then pull the pan off the heat before the pimentón goes in. Pimentón burns quickly and turns bitter. Off the heat it blooms sweet and red, staining the oil and giving the soup its Castilian backbone.

If you can't find pan candeal or a Spanish hogaza where you are, use a day-old country loaf with a tight crumb. Not sandwich bread. It falls apart into paste and gives you a sad bowl. A light chicken broth gives more body, water gives the leaner Lenten version, tal como se hace en many Castilian homes during Semana Santa.

Poach the eggs gently in the soup, one per person, until the whites set and the yolks stay soft. Break the yolk into the broth at the table and you'll understand why the recipe has lasted. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.