One of the things I love about Europe is how each region has its own culinary specialties. The same is true in the USA, but it seems accentuated there with so much history behind each region and their dishes. This soup is one of the main dishes from the Castilla-Leon region of Spain. I first discovered it in the dining hall of a 12th century castle in Seguinza, one of our stops when my husband and I visted the Spanish town he grew up in, near Madrid and explored the region.
Me: See this castle? That was our hotel!
You: No way! That's awesome!
Me: I know, right!?! :)
Me with my husband in Retiro Park in Madrid
Sopa Castellana, like many of my favorites, began as a peasant dish. The recipe calls for broth, eggs, ham (although I'm told the original was often meatless), and stale bread. Traditionally, it would be finished by baking an egg in the bottom of the bowl and then serving the soup on top, but I don't have oven safe bowls and I'm assuming the same may be true for many of you. :) At first I found the idea of using stale bread as a little odd, but this time I went for authenticity and I actually prefer it! My sister recently tried it and said it was "like breakfast soup." I agree!
* a note on the bread: buy a baguette from the deli and wait a few days. If you can almost use it as a door-knocker, it's ready! Regular sliced sandwich bread is usually so full of preservatives it will go moldy before it gets stale, anyhow. Once I had a package of burger buns sit in the pantry for months and they never showed a hint of age... *enter theme music from "The Twilight Zone"*
No good.
