Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Soup)

olive oil
13+ garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
4 slices stale country-style bread
1 tablespoon pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 quart water
Pinch of saffron (optional)
4 eggs
salt and pepper

Coat the base of a heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil.
Lightly brown whole cloves of garlic.
Remove garlic with slotted spoon and reserve.
Brown the slices of stale bread on both sides in the garlic-infused oil. Remove from pot.
Add your spices – pimentón and cumin – and toast quickly in the warm pot. Then add the water, a pinch of saffron and the reserved sautéed garlic.
Let simmer for 30 minutes.
You can then either pass the soup through a sieve or food mill, or blend it to break up the garlic and allow it to permeate the broth.

Preheat oven to 180C.
Ladle broth into 4 individual crocks.
Crack one egg into each crock.
Top with a slice of the toasted garlic bread and bake in the oven just until egg is gently poached.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Variations:

When ladling soup into bowl, you can add blanched greens such as spinach, arugula, swiss chard or kale.

After topping the soup with the toasted bread, generously cover the top with cheese.
You can use any semi-soft cheese. You can also choose to sprinkle parmigiano or pecorino romano over the top.