Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Salmorejo

Gazpacho’s thicker, creamier cousin. While gazpacho is a cold tomato and vegetable soup (often drank straight from the glass like a V8 juice), salmorejo is simply tomatoes and perhaps a clove of garlic, blended with stale bread, extra virgin olive oil, and sherry vinegar. The oil and tomatoes emulsify to give the soup creaminess
From: spanishsabores.com SERVES 4

8 Medium Tomatoes
1 Medium Baguette
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (again, quality is important)
1 Clove of Garlic (not too big)
A Splash of Sherry Vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez, although red wine vinegar can be substituted)
A Pinch of Salt
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Sliced Serrano Ham (or Prosciutto)

Scald the tomatoes: Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. When the water is boiling add the tomatoes for 30-60 seconds. Remove immediately and place in a cold water bath (a bowl filled with ice and cold water). The skin will peel right off of the tomatoes.

First Blend: Cut out the cores of the tomatoes and add all the rest to your blender. Blend at high-speed for about 30 seconds until the tomatoes are broken down.

Add bread: Take all of the "guts" out of your baguette and add them to the blended tomatoes. The baguette should have given about 2-3 cups of guts and you can experiment with how much you add, as this is how you change the texture. I use about 2 cups of the bread guts. Let the bread soak in the tomato juice for about 5 minutes.

Second Blend: Add the splash of vinegar, salt, and garlic and blend until the soup is an even texture and the bread is completely broken down.

Add Oil: If your blender has it, open the small hole in the top. Slowly add the olive oil as you are blending at a moderate speed. If it doesn't have the hole, stop and go adding little by little.

Add Egg and Adjust: Add 1 hardboiled egg and blend until incorporated. Taste and adjust levels of salt, vinegar, garlic, and bread.

Serve cold in small bowls with diced hardboiled egg and sliced ham as condiments.

Salmorejo

From: bonappetit.com
SERVES 8

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved
3 4x4x1/2' slices white sandwich bread, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Serrano ham or prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

Squeeze seeds and pulp from tomatoes into a strainer set over a large bowl. Press solids in strainer to release as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Core and chop tomatoes; add to bowl. Note: I take this to mean to squeeze and core the tomatoes!

Combine bread, toasted slivered almonds, and smashed garlic cloves in a blender. Pulse until chopped. Add tomatoes with liquid to blender in batches, puréeing until very smooth. Add Sherry vinegar. With blender running, gradually add extra-virgin olive oil. Purée until emulsified and frothy, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and more vinegar, if desired. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Season to taste again with salt and vinegar.

Divide soup among small bowls or glasses. Garnish with thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto and chopped hard-boiled egg. Drizzle with more oil.