Salmorejo
- 8 Medium Tomatoes (the quality of the tomatoes is one of the most important factors in the taste)
- 1 Medium Baguette (8 slices of whole wheat bread)
- 1/2 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 OR just use some breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat, about 2 cups. 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.
Taste and adjust levels of salt, vinegar, garlic, and bread. Serve and Enjoy: Serve in small bowls with diced hardboiled egg and sliced ham as condiments. I swirled some pumpkin seed oil on top and that worked well too.