Discover in a few steps how to make a soup that will take you to the countryside, comforting and very cheap. Thyme and egg are good allies.
bread, garlic and thyme are the ingredients of this soup as simple as it is aromatic which is known by the name of thyme soup . Of humble origin, this Catalan soup is intended to take advantage of the remains of bread from the previous day, as in the Castilian version with garlic soup, with zurrukutuna in its Basque version, or others of Catalan origin such as galets.
Its preparation basically consists in making a stock with thyme, and sprucing it up with a little garlic (and onion in its less orthodox version) and bread. Instead of water, you can also use the cooking broth of any vegetable, or a soft chicken broth, because we will always try to respect the delicate flavor that the thyme gives. This is of course the main ingredient, but the same soup can be made with other herbs such as fresh oregano (which changes a lot from the dried one sold in a can) or even with sage.
Not only is it a comforting dish, but it is known to be medicinal. Thyme improves digestion, is antiseptic and strengthens the immune system. It is diuretic, expectorant and rich in calcium and phosphorus.
For a better result, we will use fresh thyme if possible, because although dry can be used, the former has more flavor. In this version we crush the bread to obtain a more homogeneous whole and with a creamy texture, but it is just as permissible not to do this if you prefer to drink a light sauce to the light bite of the bread not to be found. The amount of bread indicated results in a light cream, but if you want more dense, just increase the amount of bread.
We will top it with a poached egg to give our soup more substance, or you can even just dissolve the yolk in the hot soup.
Also taken with a slice of toasted bread rubbed with garlic, and flavored with a few thyme leaves and oil, it is the perfect first course, one of those that puts the body.
How to make thyme soup
Ingredients
Caldo de pollo or vegetables, 1 liter
Garlic cottages, 2 units
Fresh thyme, 6 sprigs
White stale bread, 60 g
Free range eggs, 4 units
Will, c/s
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Step 1
Laminate the bread from the previous day and toast it in the oven or in the toaster until lightly golden brown and crispy.
Step 2
Peel the cloves of garlic, chop them and fry them in a saucepan with oil until they are golden brown, make sure they don’t burn, as this will only make the soup bitter. Ideally, put the cold oil and the garlic in the saucepan and gradually increase the heat, stirring the garlic cloves as they heat.
Step 3
Then add the sprig of thyme and the broth or water and let it cook covered for 15 minutes over a low heat, which does not boil too vigorously so that everything does not become cloudy.
Step 4
After this time, strain the soup that has already been strained with the thyme and return to the casserole. Then add the bread and cook for another 5 minutes until the bread is very soft. After this point, the soup can be served as is, but here we also continue to grind it.
Step 5
Meanwhile, put a saucepan on the fire with water to boil, with a splash of white vinegar, about one tablespoon of vinegar for one liter of water. Crack the eggs and blanch them one by one for about 3-4 minutes. You can always do the trick of wrapping the eggs in lightly oiled plastic wrap and closing it to make a flower. Boil the eggs inside the plastic wrap and then remove it very carefully
Step 6
Blend the soup until very fine, strain it if necessary and correct the salt before serving.
Step 7
Serve the soup piping hot, with the poached egg in the middle. Go with a sprig of fresh thyme that will give identity to the soup.
With information from The Spanish.