Category: Tomatoes

We spent late June in Spain. We visited Bilbao, Salamanca, and Madrid. In each city we ate Salmorejo. Each recipe was subtly different, but all were amazing. Comparisons to gazpacho are unavoidable, but Salmorejo is, hands down, the best cold soup on earth. It is simplicity itself as the only ingredients are tomatoes, bread, olive oil, and a touch of vinegar, along with toppings, which may vary.  The key to success is that the ingredients, especially the tomatoes and olive oil, must be of superb quality. The hard boiled egg topping in this recipe is not entirely typical, but some version of the Serrano ham is entirely typical. I have tried replacing the Serrano ham with crisply fried smoked bacon. That works fabulously well.

Ingredients

• 8 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium baguette
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• Splash of sherry or red wine vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• Sliced Serrano ham or crisp bacon

Instructions

1. Scald the tomatoes: Drop tomatoes into boiling water. After 30 seconds transfer into cold water bath then peel off skin.
2. Remove the cores of the tomatoes and add all the rest to a blender. Blend at high-speed for about 30 seconds.
3. Cut the crust off a baguette and add 2 cups of bread chunks to the blended tomatoes. Let the bread soak in the tomato juice for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the splash of vinegar, salt, and garlic and blend until the soup is an even texture.
5. With blender running, slowly add the olive oil as you are blending at a moderate speed.
6. Add 1 hardboiled egg and blend until incorporated. Taste and adjust levels of salt and vinegar.
7. Serve topped with diced hardboiled egg and sliced ham or fried bacon. Serve cold!