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Las Pedroñeras Hot Garlic Soup

Las Pedroñeras, in the Castile-La Mancha regionon of southwestern Spain, is known as the garlic capital of the country. Manolo de la Osa, chef-owner of Las Rejas restaurant in Las Pedroñeras, uses smoked black pudding, or morcilla, and choricero pepper, in his version of the regional garlic soup. Choricero peppers, also known as ñora peppers, are small, round, intense, and sweet-fleshed red bell peppers that are always used dry, to add flavor to stews or soups. They are also an ingredient in chorizo sausages.
Adapted from a recipe by Manolo de la Osa. From Spain and The World Table, The Culinary Institute of America.

2 garlic heads
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salt, divided use
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 smoked ham hocks
2 morcillas
2 teaspoons Spanish sweet paprika
6 tablespoons tomato paste
4 quarts (4 liters) unsalted beef stock, divided
2 choricero peppers, roasted, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
8 slices country-style bread or baguette
6 large garlic cloves, peeled, 2 cut in half, 4 very thinly sliced
1 cup small-dice ham
8 eggs
1 cup sherry wine vinegar

1. Seperate one garlic head into cloves and peel them. Separate the other garlic head into cloves, peel them, and crush them lightly withthe side of a chef’s knife.

2. Coat the uncrushed garlic cloves in 2 teaspoons of oil and a pinch of salt and the pepper. Roast the cloves in a 350°F (175°C) oven until soft, about 7 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the bay leaves with the crushed garlic until the garlicis lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ham hocks and morcillas and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes.

4. Add the sweet paprika and tomato paste and sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring vigorously, then cover with 2 quarts (2 liters) of the beef stock. Add the choricero peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, add the roasted garlic, season with the remaining salt, then lower the heat and allow to reduce until thickened, about 50 minutes. Remove the ham hocks and bay leaves, and reserve warm. Trim the meat out of the ham hocks, dice it, and add it to the soup pot.

5. Brush the slices of bread with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Toast in a375°F (190°C) oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Rub with a cut garlic clove and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) wide sticks.

6. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in amedium sauté pan. Fry the diced ham and garlic shavings untillightly browned, about 3 minutes.

7. Poach the eggs. Heat the remaining 2 quarts (2 liters) of beef stock over medium heat until it reaches 160°F (70°C), then lower the heat to as low as possible and stir in the sherry wine vinegar. Break an egg into a cup and tip one at a time into the stock ,cooking 4 eggs at a time. Poach the eggs for 4 minutes, or unti lthe whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Skim the stock if necessary. Remove the excess stock by blotting the eggs briefly on paper towels and reserve until needed.

8. Serve ½ cup of the soup piping hot in a bowl with a poached egg, 1 tablespoon of diced ham and garlic shavings, and 2 pieces of toasted bread.