As we were traveling throughout Andalucia, one of the constant offerings on the tapas menu was Salmorejo, a thick gazpacho originating in the area of Cordoba.  We tasted it our first night in Cordoba but enjoyed it, as well, in Gaucin and Sevilla.  You could use bread to dip into it, or just scoop out all the yummy tomato goodness with a big spoon.

I’ve made Gazpacho before – the kind with chunks of vegetables floating in a suspension of tomato puree — and also creamy ‘white’ gazpachos, made with honey dew melon or cantaloupe.   This is a sort of cross between the two – no obvious vegetables, but a thick puree of tomatoes augmented with delicacies of the region.  In Cordoba, ours was served with chopped garlic and Serrano ham on top, with bread on the side.

When our French friends were visiting I wanted to serve something that might be new for them, and yet easy to prepare (or so I thought) that we could eat for either an appetizer or a small meal.  As it turned out, I have no food processor or blender at our flat here in Graz, so made do with the attachment to the electric hand mixer that seems to work quite well for soft foods but makes a bit of a mess at the same time!

Nevertheless, this recipe was perfect.  I didn’t follow exactly because I am a kind of taste as you go cook.  I’ve put my alterations in parentheses.

 

Spanish Creamy Cold Tomato Soup Recipe

Salmorejo Cordobes adapted from Lisa and Tony Sierra
website here

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes (plus longer to cool in the refrigerator)

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

* 2 eggs – we’d already had eggs that day so I skipped this part

* 2 oz Serrano ham (substitute prosciutto)

* 1 (8 oz) baguette, stale

* 1 large clove garlic – after tasting, I increased to 3 cloves

* 2 lbs (1 kg) ripe tomatoes (or in a pinch or if without a proper blender/processor, use tomato puree)

* 8 oz (250 ml) extra virgin olive oil  – I used only about 1/4 cup olive oil

* 2 oz (60 ml) red wine vinegar – about 1/4 cup  (more traditional recipes use Spanish sherry; I think I added a tablespoon more)

* salt to taste

 

Preparation:

Hard boil the eggs. Place in ice cold water to cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut off hard crust from baguette, then cut into slices approximately 1/2-inch thick. (If your baguette is skinny, like mine was, simply slice the whole thing down the middle and pull out the stale bread with your fingers.  Eat the crusts or save for later crumb-making.)

Pour about a 1/4-inch water into a large glass baking dish. Add bread slices and allow bread to soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze excess water out of slices and place in a blender or food processor. (or in a container that will contain any agitation from a hand blender!)

Peel and mince garlic and place in food processor. (I simply pressed the garlic and added it to the above container.)

Peel tomatoes and remove seeds. Add to the food processor and pour in vinegar. Process. (Because of time and tool constraints, I used mostly already prepared puree and a few tomatoes.)

Slowly pour in oil while processing. Continue to process until smooth. If mixture is too thick, pour in a bit of cold water while processing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve: Dice Serrano ham. (I first precooked the prosciutto in the microwave until it was barely crisp.)

(optional:  Peel and quarter hard boiled eggs.)

Pour soup into four bowls. Sprinkle ham over bowls.

(Add two egg quarters to each bowl.)