Salmorejo —and seven hours in Madrid - MAMA ÍA (2024)

September 29, 2019

Natacha Sanz Caballero Soups and Stews, Andalusian cuisine, cold soups, Madrid, Madrid de los Austrias, seven hours in Madrid, summer soup, tomatoes

We are enjoying the last of the tomatoes, for tomato season is (almost) over. I had been holding on to posting the recipe for salmorejo until we got really good tomatoes, and now the season is slipping away. No matter, I made salmorejo with the last of the good tomatoes and here you have the recipe. Save it until next summer.

But what is salmorejo, you ask? Salmorejo (pronounced sahl-moh-reh-hoh) is, simply put, a bread and tomato gazpacho. No peppers, no cucumber, no other vegetables than tomatoes. That is why the quality of the tomatoes is very important.

Salmorejo originates in Córdoba, although, like so many Spanish dishes, it is made everywhere in Spain. Originally, salmorejo was more of a white soup or gazpacho, its only ingredients being bread, garlic, aromatic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Its origin is most likely moorish, as Córdoba —and in fact all of Andalusia— was under Muslim domination for many centuries. It’s not until the 19th century, well after the incorporation of tomatoes into the Spanish diet, that salmorejo included tomatoes in its recipe.

Salmorejo is different than Andalusian gazpacho not only in the vegetables each dish contains, but also in its texture: salmorejo is creamier, because it doesn’t include added water, and because of the larger amount of bread. Because of its creamier texture, it can also be eaten as a sauce or as a spread over bread.

To accompany this recipe, what better than some photos of Spain —moreover, photos of the first hours after we set foot in Spain last summer, during our seven hour layover in Madrid.

Madrid is close to my heart, because I spent the last four years of my life in Spain (or my “single” life) there. They were very exciting years, particularly the first one, while I was attending business school. The workload from classes was intense, but so was the social life and the partying (nightlife in Madrid is truly unique). There, I made friendships for a lifetime, and I treasure the memories of those years. It was the early 90s, and Madrid was the place to be —you’ve probably heard of the “movida madrileña”, or la movida. However, the places I visited during that period of my life didn’t include many of the sites every tourist should visit (or if I ever walked by them, it was certainly by night).

So on this long layover in Madrid with my family last June we did what tourists do: we strolled through Madrid de los Austrias, including the Royal Palace and the Cathedral of la Almudena; visited Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, and stopped at Mercado de San Miguel for our first cortado, pastries, cañas (Spanish draft beer) and tapas. Yes, we had it all! And to top it off, I even had the time to stop at librería San Ginés and browse through some old books. From there, back to the airport, when jet lag finally hit us on the last leg of our trip (to be continued…)

SALMOREJO CORDOBÉS

Tomato Gazpacho in the style of Córdoba

Ingredients:

3 Lbs tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 large slice country bread (or 2 smaller ones)

2 slices serrano ham (use prosciutto if serrano not available)

1 hard boiled egg (optional)

Tear the bread into pieces, place them in a bowl and soak them in the sherry vinegar.

Chop the tomato in large chunks and place the pieces in a blender (work in batches if necessary). Add the garlic and salt and blend until smooth. Add the bread soaked in vinegar and any vinegar remaining in the bowl. Blend until smooth.

Pass the purée through a food mill fitted with the medium plate to remove any traces of peel or seeds. Return to the blender. Lower the speed and add the olive oil in a slow stream until incorporated. Adjust for salt, transfer to a large bowl or jug, cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Cut the serrano ham into tiny pieces. If using, dice the boiled egg insmall pieces.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with the serrano ham (I also garnished with oregano flowers that I had available, but for an authentic salmorejo, top with chopped boiled egg). Drizzle with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil