Salmorejo: A Favorite Hot-Day Lunch

I store in reused glass yogurt jar
fun entertaining in small glass

Nothing takes me back to Spain on a hot summer day more than Salmorejo.  We just love this tomato and bread based puree from Andalusia.  Salmorejo is not to be confused with Gazpacho, another wonderful cold Spanish soup.  Unlike Gazpacho, Samorejo does not have any chunks of vegetables.  It is smooth and creamy with a nice kick from the garlic and sherry vinegar. The texture is added on top: croutons, bits of jamón, pieces of hardboiled egg.  We leave out the egg and switch it up with some tuna.  Our little one is still not so sure he wants to give it a try. He thinks it is tomato sauce! What kind of bread should a sesame-allergic family use?  We feel safe with baguettes from most bakeries.  I always form a relationship with the bakers at my local Whole Foods.  I have discovered that the baguettes are often baked off separate from the seeded bread and then go right into the brown bag. Of course, this is not true if the bakery has seeded baguettes!  We purchase our jamón serrano from Central Market here in Houston.  In Toronto, we enjoyed the local Niagara prociutto-style ham from St. Lawerence Market.  On another allergy note, vinegar has sulfites so use caution if you have sensitivity or allergy.  

For recipe in Spanish: http://www.mithermomix.com/recetario/primerplato_salmorejo.htm

          

ready for fridge, serve cold!

What you need:

2 garlic cloves

1 kilo of tomatoes (no need to remove seeds since Thermomix takes care of this!)

1 teaspoon of salt

100 grams of bread chunks, we use baguette (great use of stale bread)

150 grams of best Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 1/2 MC)

20-30 grams Sherry Vinegar

Toppings: ham, croutons, tuna

What to do:

Let the peeled garlic fall through the top to be chopped by the blades while machine is running at Speed 7

Stop the machine and add the tomatoes with the salt.  Program 2 minutes, progressing speed 5-7-9

Add the bread and vinegar and mix 20 seconds, speed 6-8.  

With the MC tilted, let the olive oil drizzle in slowly until incorporated.  I'm not certain of what speed, but choose 4-6

Put directly in fridge and serve cold.