Chilled Tomato Soup (Salmorejo)

The lesser known chilled soup from Spain, originating in Andalusia. It’s more mellow and creamier than gazpacho—and that creaminess comes from extra virgin olive oil!

Prep Time: 30 minutes    Refrigeration Time: 2 hours

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 lbs. fresh whole tomatoes, any variety except cherry (about 4-5 large tomatoes)

2 cups fresh bread cubes (about 3 oz.) from white bread like French or Italian (crusts removed)

1/2 sweet white onion (eg, Vidalia), cut into wedges

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Garnishes: hard-boiled egg, Iberico ham (or prosciutto) or toasted slivered almonds

MAKING IT:

To remove skins from tomatoes, boil a large pot of salted water. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. Add tomatoes to boiling water; cook for about 60 seconds. Remove tomatoes and immediately “shock” in bowl of ice water. Remove core and peel tomatoes.

 Add tomatoes to blender jar and blend for about 30 seconds at medium-low speed.  Add bread to the tomatoes; stir. Let the bread soak in tomatoes for about 5 minutes. To blender jar add: onion, vinegar and salt; blend on medium-low until smooth. With blender on medium-high speed, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until soup is creamy and orange colored.

 Chill soup for at least 2 hours.  Garnish as desired.  Serve with bread.  Makes about 6 cups.

Nutrition Information per serving (8 fl. oz. no garnishes): 280 Calories; 24g Total Fat; (3.5g Sat Fat; 0g Trans Fat); 0mg Chol; 870mg Sodium; 15g Total Carb; (2g Fiber; 5g Sugars); 3g Protein

TIPS:

Traditionally salmorejo is topped with chopped Iberico (or Serrano) ham and diced hard-cooked egg, but try topping with toasted slivered almonds for added crunch.

Use a very high quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe to add creaminess without bitterness, as well as heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fats.