Chilled Spanish Smoky Tomato Soup (Vegan options included)
A Spanish chilled soup that is gazpacho’s lesser known, but thicker, creamier cousin! A fabulous no-cook option for a week night.
This classic Andalusian (southern Spain) chilled soup is made from tomatoes, bread, garlic, sherry vinegar and a healthy EVOO. Traditionally, it uses a Spanish EVOO, but in this recipe, I used a smoky, cold-pressed grapeseed oil to add another layer of flavor that complemented the cool September nights we are experiencing.
The creamy soup has no dairy but gets its rich, smooth texture from drizzling the oil into a running food processor. It tastes amazing with the traditional garnish of Serrano ham, and chopped or sliced boiled eggs. For a vegan or vegetarian option, BE BRAVE and make this soup instead with some crunchy, garlicky croutons and/or some sliced and sautéed cremini mushrooms as the garnish instead.
One of the easiest yet most difficult things to do, is to make perfect boiled eggs — often they end up with that ugly ring of green around the yolk, or are hard to peel, so check out the Chef Tip at the end for making perfect boiled eggs every time!
This soup is great to serve if you have company over, as it can be made in advance and doesn’t need re-heating! Savor it as we enjoy the last of the summer and early fall warm temperatures.
Smoky Salmorejo
Ingredients
2 ½ lbs vine ripened tomatoes, cored and chopped
4 one-inch thick slices of ciabatta (or other rustic white bread)
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar *
¼ cup Smoky Garlic Oil (or any other smoked EVOO) plus more for drizzling *
Kosher salt
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (see Chef Tip below)
½ cup chopped Serrano Ham or prosciutto
Toasted, salted Marcona Almonds or regular whole blanched almonds
Parsley for garnish
Vegan option garnishes
1 cup garlicky croutons
1 tablespoon Smoky Garlic Oil (or any other smoked EVOO)
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
Preparation
Remove the crusts from the slices of bread and cube. Measure out about 2 cups of bread cubes.
Chop the tomatoes, add the measured bread cubes, garlic and pour into a food processor. Let sit for 15 minutes till the bread softens. Add the vinegar and pulse until smooth (add up to ½ cup of water or vegetable broth to get a soup consistency).
With the processor running, gradually drizzle in the Smoky Garlic Oil. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl. Season with salt, cover and refrigerate until very cold (at least an hour or overnight)
Serve garnished with chopped hard-boiled eggs, serrano ham, toasted Marcona almonds and a drizzle of additional smoky garlic oil
For the vegan option, sauté mushrooms in a tablespoon of oil till caramelized and browned. Sprinkle over the soup with the garlicky croutons, Marcona Almonds and a drizzle of additional smoky garlic oil.
Active Time: 15 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Notes
* A good Spanish Sherry vinegar or Vinagre de Jerez is the classic ingredient but you can substitute with a rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
* I use the Smoky Garlic grapeseed oil from our Oil & Vinegar franchise. You can also substitute with another smoked oil or if you prefer to go without the smokiness, a classic garlic EVOO or even a plain Spanish EVOO. The flavor of the soup will change accordingly.
Chef Tips
Perfect boiled eggs: To make perfect boiled eggs without that ugly green ring around the yolk, place eggs in a pot:
> Cover eggs in cool water and bring to a boil.
> When the water reaches a rolling boil, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let sit for 6-7 minutes covered in the pot on the stove.
> Drain and plunge in ice cold water for 15 minutes. To make peeling easier, crack the eggs slightly before putting in the ice water.
Categories: Appetizer, Soups & Salads, Pork, Vegetarian-Option, Vegan-Option, Dairy-Free, Tomato Soup, Salmorejo, Chilled Spanish Soup, Sherry Vinegar, Smoky Garlic Oil, Hard Boiled Eggs, Perfect Boiled Eggs, Mediterranean Diet, Week Night Dinner, Marcona Almonds, Cold Soup, Serrano Ham,
