gazpacho salmorejo

Salmorejo is a bread-thickened gazpacho from Cordoba. I got the recipe from Jeff Koehler, author of Rice Pasta Couscous. Jeff is an American who lives in Barcelona with a Spanish wife who comes from a food-mad family. I usually make chunkier, all-veggie gazpacho, but I have to say I was blown away by this version. It’s rich and satisfying in a way that pureed vegetables alone can’t be.

ingredients

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and quartered
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1/2 small red bell pepper
2 green onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
About 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces baguette or sandwich roll
sea salt or kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
garnishes: chopped hard-boiled egg, diced avocado, slivered ham or prosciutto

directions

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a large blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of the oil. Tear the bread into pieces and add it. Add a good pinch of salt. Pulse ingredients until blended, then with motor running, pour an additional 1/4 cup oil through the tube or the hole in the center of the blender cap, pureeing mixture for at least a minute until very smooth. Remove lid, taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. If mixture is still too thick, either blend in a little more oil or add a few ice cubes and whirl again (this also helps chill it down quickly so it can be eaten right away). Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until thoroughly chilled.

To serve, ladle into bowls or mugs (or even margarita glasses) and garnish as desired.

Nutritional data per serving: 484 calories, 39g total fat (6g sat fat), 34g total carbs (5g dietary fiber; 12g total sugars); 7g protein; 0mg cholesterol; 200mg sodium; 17% daily potassium, 13% daily iron.