Cordoban Salmorejo - Spanish Cold Soup recipe on The Worldwide Gourmet

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Michele Serre, Editor

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Spanish Cold Soups

Tomato

Cordoban Salmorejo

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 0
Cost: Very reasonable
Difficulty: Very easy

Chef's Tips

The two versions are equally authentic. Other ingredients can be added if you want to serve the dish as a main course: for example, boiled potatoes, grilled chicken breast, etc. But try to leave the gazpacho fairly liquid, half way between a cold soup and a refreshing salad.

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 ripe red tomatoes, peeled and cut into several pieces

3 hardboiled eggs, shelled and cut into 6 lengthwise

1 red pepper, grilled, peeled and cut into 6 lengthwise strips

4 slices of raw ham, 5 mm thick, cut into thin julienne strips

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 thread of Spanish saffron

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

100 ml (6 tbsp.) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 liter (4 cups) very cold water

Method

Place the salt, peeled garlic, cumin, pepper and saffron into a mortar and crush to a fine paste.
Slowly drizzle in the oil to form an emulsion, then thin with the vinegar and a little water.
The tomatoes should be crushed in a dornillo or large bowl. When they are well crushed, add the contents of the mortar and mix well.

Version 1

Once the base is prepared, there are two options: the first involves crushing all the other ingredients with the seasoned tomatoes. In this case, you also blend the peppers and hardboiled eggs to form a paste that you thin as desired. The result is delicious, though the color a bit dubious-looking.

Version 2
The second version involves leaving the gazpacho in the form of a thicker tomato paste, bright red and satiny, and then adding the seasoning additions, i.e., garnishing with the peppers, julienned ham and hardboiled egg wedges and finishing with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.