Buck’s Authentic Salmorejo
A delightfully tangy, tomato-based chilled soup of Spanish origins.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ - 3 pounds ripe tomatoes cored
- 2-3 cloves roasted garlic can substitute 1-2 cloves raw garlic, but I far prefer to use roasted
- 1 cup breadcrumbs make your own, or you can cheat w/ commercial seasoned bread crumbs; a lot easier!
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Spanish Olive Oil
- 1-2 teaspoons Sherry Vinegar can substitute good-quality Red Wine Vinegar
- a pinch of sugar or more, to taste
- Kosher or sea salt to taste
- Garnishes: chopped Jabugo or Serrano ham (can substitute Prosciutto, if you must) chopped hard-boiled egg, and diced mild chili pepper, such as poblano
Instructions
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Process tomatoes in a blender/mixer until they are the consistency of a chunky soup.
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Add garlic halfway through the tomato, blending so that garlic is processed and flavor infused throughout tomato mixture.
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Add breadcrumbs and blend until just incorporated into mixture, which will be a thick, paste-like consistency.
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Continue blending while slowing adding olive oil in a thin stream until attaining desired consistency of finished soup.
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Add 1 teaspoon vinegar and a pinch each of sugar & salt; blend at high speed for ~ 30 seconds to obtain an even blend. Check seasonings, adjust as necessary, then refrigerate until cold.
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Serve very cold in chilled bowls w/ a drizzle of Spanish Olive Oil, ham shavings and boiled egg garnish (to be added to taste at the table).
Recipe Notes
Recipe courtesy of Chris Buckridge
Notes: you will need to adjust vinegar, sugar, and/or salt to account for how ripe your tomatoes are. The final soup should taste of very ripe tomato; a bit sweet w/ a subtle, underlying flavor from the garlic. Just start w/ minimum amount of seasonings and build to your personal taste.) While less traditional, you can also add some finely chopped mildly spiced chili pepper (or sweet bell) for a bit of fresh bite, color, and texture. While I have seen this in Andalucia, it is not very common, although I think it really adds to the dish. (It is a common misconception that Spanish food is spicy, but that is not true at all!) Note: If you use raw garlic, the soup will develop a VERY strong garlic flavor during storage in the fridge.