Salmorejo

Salmorejo is a cold soup, typical of the Córdoba region in Andalusia, which is why it is usually known as Salmorejo cordobés. This soup is similar to Gazpacho although a little more consistent. Whereas Gazpacho can be eaten as a soup or beverage, this is a little thicker consistency due to the bread. It is also served with finely diced ingredients which are added to the soup after serving, such as serrano ham, boiled egg, croutons, tuna, and best of all, melon! In the ingredients I mention stale bread as this is the traditional way of making it. The bread (including the crust) is soaked in water for about 30 minutes to an hour and then the water is disposed of and the bread is squeezed to remove excess water. This was a way of recycling an ingredient instead of throwing it away and is very typical of many Spanish dishes. It’s OK to use fresh bread, but the soaking time will be considerably less. For this dish it is best to use white bread especially one that isn’t sweet or processed (like sliced bread) – a baguette is perfect.

The best thing about this dish is that it is so easy - literally chop the ingredients, put in blender…and blend! No extra instructions needed really.

Like I said earlier this is usually served with a few extra ingredients, so you can boil a couple of eggs and finely dice them, some serrano or parma ham, croutons, tinned tuna, and my favourite is Christmas melon, which is sweet and also very firm, which feels like there’s a party in your mouth with all the different flavours complementing and contrasting each other.

It is OK to make this in advance, but the earlier you make it the more garlicky it becomes, as the garlic intensifies with time. I always make and serve immediately.