← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 1 kg very ripe plum tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 150 g day-old white bread, crusts removed
• 1 clove Garlic, peeled
• 120 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp sherry or wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 eggs, to garnish
• 50 g jamón serrano, to garnish, finely diced (optional)

Method

1. Put the eggs in a small pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 9 min. Cool them in cold water, then peel and chop finely.
2. Blend the tomatoes with the garlic, vinegar and salt until completely liquid. If you want it extra smooth, push it through a sieve to remove the skins and seeds, then return it to the blender.
3. Soak the bread in a little water for 1 minute and squeeze it out. Add it to the blender bit by bit, blending between each addition, until the soup is thick and creamy.
4. With the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil so it emulsifies into a pale orange cream that holds a ripple on top. Taste and add more salt or vinegar.
5. Chill for at least 2 hours, until really cold. Serve in shallow bowls topped with chopped egg, diced jamón and a thread of olive oil.

Tips

• The jamón garnish is optional: leave it off to keep the dish vegetarian, or skip both garnishes and add crunchy croutons for a vegan bowl.
• Use bread with a firm crumb, such as a day-old baguette or Spanish telera; soft sliced bread turns it gluey.

Sources

Adapted from “Cookbook:Salmorejo (Spanish Tomato Garlic Purée)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook, under CC BY-SA 4.0. This adaptation is shared under the same licence.

Spanish Fiestas