If there is a dish capable of putting us in tune due to its forcefulness and flavor, that is garlic soup. Either in the Spanish version, the most basic, or in the Basque version, like the zurrukutuna that we bring today. The addition of desalted cod crumbs the whole elevates this recipe to a much higher level.
Friends of spooning, you can not miss the opportunity to try it. Stale bread, fish broth (or, failing that, water), garlic, desalted flaked cod and little else is needed to make a zurrukutuna (big word) in less than a rooster crows. An exceptional unique dish if we accompany it with a couple of eggs.
In the Basque Country a traditional bread called soupko, but it is difficult to find it in other communities. If you are lucky enough to find it, go ahead with it. If this is not the case, it serves perfectly the loaf of bread for a couple of days. This is how we have done it and the result is in sight.
The cod can be added at the same time as the garlic, at the beginning of the recipe, and then add the bread and other ingredients. In our case we have chosen to incorporate it at the end, along with the eggs, and let it cook with the residual heat. In this way the cod crumbs appear in each spoonful as little bumps.
Peel and grate (or slice) the garlic cloves. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté them together with the chilli without letting them brown. Add the bread cut into very thin slices and the bay leaf. We stir over low heat so that the bread is well soaked in the oil and garlic without getting toasted.
Then add the sweet paprika, stir briefly. Immediately, we add the tomato sauce and the chorizo pepper pulp. We stir the whole while we cook a couple of minutes.
We water with the water or stock and season to taste, but with caution, remembering that there is still to add the cod. We cook to simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
We remove the bay leaf and the chilli and we put out the fire. Add the cod and the eggs, cover the saucepan and let them set for a few minutes. We can also add the beaten eggs and stir so that they are integrated throughout the soup. The scrambled egg thickens the soup even more and makes it very tasty.
With what to accompany zurrukutuna
We could say that the zurrukutuna or Basque garlic and cod soup does not need any accompaniment. It is powerful on its own and an excellent single dish, ideal for when the temperature starts to drop. Serve it with a glass of wine, to complement flavors, and finish the meal with a piece of fruit.
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