Chef Isabel
Ajo Carretero de Soria
Ajo carretero is Soriano, from the pine country of Soria: lamb cooked in a plain garlicky broth, then served the old way, meat first and bread-soaked soup after.
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Sopa de Farigola (Catalan Thyme and Bread Soup)
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Sopa de Farigola is Catalan hillside soup: fried garlic, stale bread, and farigola, thyme, in plain water. Treat the herb gently and the whole bowl tastes clean, green, and old-fashioned in the best way.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
20 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
Sopa de Farigola is Catalan, a thyme-and-bread soup from the dry hills and old kitchens where farigola, wild thyme, perfumes even plain water. What makes it this soup and not Castilian sopa de ajo is exactly what it leaves out: no pimentón, no ham, no stock. Fried garlic, stale bread, olive oil, salt, and the herb. Small food, but not careless food.
The method that decides it is the thyme. Fry the garlic only to pale gold, then let the farigola infuse in barely simmering water and rest covered a few minutes. Boil it hard and long and the herb goes bitter, like old tea. Treat it gently and the broth tastes clean, green, and warmer than its ingredients have any right to be.
If you can't gather farigola from a Catalan hillside, use good fresh thyme or a measured 3g of dried thyme from a shop with turnover. The dried herb is darker and less floral, so use less and strain it before the bread goes in. For pa de pagès, a stale country loaf or day-old sourdough works; soft sandwich bread turns to paste. No hace falta haber pisado España. This is the sort of soup that forgives a tired cook, as long as you don't drown the herb. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Sopa de farigola belongs to Catalonia's rural cocina de cuchara, especially the inland comarques where thyme grows wild on dry, stony slopes and stale pa de pagès was too valuable to waste. In many Catalan homes farigola was gathered around Setmana Santa, when it flowers and perfumes the paths, and the soup served as plain, restorative food after winter or after heavy eating. Its poverty is exact: water, bread, garlic, olive oil, and thyme, with an egg only when the house could spare one.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
stale pa de pagès or rustic country bread
Quantity
160g
cut into 1cm slices
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
45ml, plus 15ml to finish if you like
garlic cloves
Quantity
5 cloves (about 20g)
peeled and thinly sliced
water
Quantity
1.2 litres
fresh farigola or thyme sprigs, or dried thyme
Quantity
12g fresh or 3g dried
tied with kitchen string, or held in a tea infuser if dried
fine sea salt
Quantity
6g, plus more to taste
large eggs (optional)
Quantity
4
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| stale pa de pagès or rustic country breadcut into 1cm slices | 160g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 45ml, plus 15ml to finish if you like |
| garlic clovespeeled and thinly sliced | 5 cloves (about 20g) |
| water | 1.2 litres |
| fresh farigola or thyme sprigs, or dried thymetied with kitchen string, or held in a tea infuser if dried | 12g fresh or 3g dried |
| fine sea salt | 6g, plus more to taste |
| large eggs (optional) | 4 |
Equipment Needed
- •Medium saucepan or olla, 2 to 3 litres
- •Kitchen string, tea infuser, or fine sieve for the thyme
- •Slotted spoon
- •Ladle
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the bread
Cut the stale bread into 1cm slices or rough pieces. It should be dry enough to drink the broth without falling apart at once. If your bread is fresh, lay the slices on the counter for a few hours, or dry them in a low oven until they feel firm but not toasted.
Use pa de pagès if you can find it. A stale country loaf or day-old sourdough is the right substitute; soft sandwich bread gives you paste. - 2
Fry the garlic
Warm the 45ml olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, moving it often, until the edges turn pale gold and the oil smells sweet. Do not let it brown hard. Lift out a few slices for finishing if you like, and leave the rest in the pot.
- 3
Infuse the farigola
Add the water, salt, and tied farigola to the pot. Bring it just to a simmer, then lower the heat and let it tremble gently for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let it rest for 8 minutes. This is the whole point of the soup: the thyme should perfume the water, not be boiled into bitterness. Lift out the thyme bundle, or strain the broth if you used loose dried thyme.
- 4
Soften the bread
Return the broth to a gentle simmer and add the stale bread. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, pressing the bread down with a spoon, until it swells and softens but still has some body. Taste for salt. The soup should be light and fragrant, with the olive oil shining in small green-gold pools on the surface.
- 5
Poach the eggs
If using eggs, crack each one into a small cup, then slide them into the barely moving soup. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft. If you want the poorer, plainer version, leave the eggs out. That is still sopa de farigola, tal como se hace allí.
Keep the soup at a bare simmer for the eggs. A hard boil breaks the whites and roughs up the bread. - 6
Serve at once
Ladle the soup into warm bowls, giving each bowl bread, garlic, and an egg if you used them. Finish with the reserved garlic slices and a thin thread of olive oil. Eat it right away, while the bread is soft and the farigola is still clear on the nose.
Chef Tips
- •The farigola matters more than any cleverness. Fresh wild thyme is best, fresh garden thyme is next, and dried thyme works if it still smells alive when you crush it between your fingers. Pésalo, no lo adivines: 3g dried thyme is enough.
- •Use water, not stock. Stock is loud here and covers the herb. This soup should taste of garlic oil, bread, and thyme, not chicken or ham.
- •The egg is a household choice, not a rule. Add one per person when you want a fuller supper, or leave it out for the plainest version. Both belong to the same Catalan kitchen.
- •This is best the moment it is made. Leftovers keep, but the bread keeps drinking and the soup thickens. Loosen it with water when reheating, then correct the salt.
Advance Preparation
- •Slice the bread the day before and leave it loosely covered so it dries properly.
- •The thyme broth can be made up to 24 hours ahead, strained, cooled, and refrigerated. Reheat it gently and add the bread just before serving.
- •If serving with eggs, poach them only at the end; they do not hold well in the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 345g)
Calories
315 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
590 mg
Total Carbohydrates
21 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
10 g
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