Salmorejo

SALMOREJO

Salmorejo is from Cordoba, similar to Gazpacho. We serve it as a starter or first meal and must obvoiusly be chilled before eating. In the South of Spain they have it all the time in the summer. It's accompanied with las guarniciones: little chunks of jamon serrano, crumbled hard boiled egg or tuna flakes better if it's of the bonito kind with finely sliced fresh onion and green pepper. Less known abroad, Salmorejo is found in any house in Andalucia, restaurant and tapas bar. In the tapas bar it is used as a sauce for preparing montadidos, tiny sandwhiches filled with various ingredients, the most typical being jamon serrano.

Ingredients

8 ripe tomatoes 1 green pepper 3 garlic cloves 2 slices of bread olive oil, about 125 ml white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

To finish:
chopped hard-boiled eggs
flakes of tuna
chopped fresh onion
chunks of serrano ham
chopped green pepper

Method

Chop the tomatoes, green pepper, and garlic coarsely. Put in a mixer adding the bread soaked in a bit of water, part of the olive oil and salt to taste. Pulse through. Add some water just to reach a creamy texture. At the end add the vinegar and mix again. Check the seasoning, adding more salt or vinegar and maybe more oil if necessary.
Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and the guarniciones: chopped fresh onion and green pepper, crumbled hard boiled egg, flakes of tuna or small chunks of jamon serrano