Smoky Salmorejo — Chilled Spanish Tomato Soup
Recipe Blog Post
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,
