Salmorejo – Rustic tomato soup with olive oil and bread

Salmorejo – Rustic tomato soup with olive oil and bread

Salmorejo – Rustic tomato soup with olive oil & bread

This deep-flavoured soup originates from Andalucía in southern Spain and is served cold, spiked with cumin and sherry vinegar

  • plus 2 hrs chilling
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • Calories 204
  • Carbohydrates 36
  • Saturated Fat 1
  • Sugar 9
  • Protein 8
  • Fat 2
  • Fiber 5
  • Salt 0.7

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 200g sourdough bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks

  • 1kg very ripe tomatoes

  • 2 fat garlic cloves

  • 2 flame-roasted red peppers, peeled and deseeded (from a jar is fine)

  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

  • 4 slices serrano ham

  • small handful parsley

  • drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Put a small frying pan on a low heat, add the cumin seeds and toast for 1-2 mins, stirring frequently. Crush the seeds using a pestle and mortar. Soak the bread in cold water for 10 mins.

  2. Meanwhile, to skin the tomatoes, cut a cross in the skin on the top and bottom of each tomato, then put them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. After 1-2 mins, drain the tomatoes and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water. The skins should now peel off easily.

  3. Cut the flesh into quarters and remove the seeds and pulp. Put the seeds and pulp in a sieve over a bowl and squish to release all the juices from around the seeds. Keep the juice and discard the seeds and pulp.

  4. Put the garlic, tomato quarters and juice, peppers and cumin in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Squeeze out the water from the bread, then add to the processor. Season and blitz until very smooth. Add the vinegar to taste, checking for a good balance of flavours, then cover and chill for at least 2 hrs.

  5. When ready to serve, roughly chop the eggs, serrano ham and parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and add some of each of the toppings. Add a drizzle of your best olive oil, a grinding of pepper and serve.