Thursday, August 20, 2015

Salmorejo- Gazpacho's Creamier Cousin


While I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a lovely garden over looking the beautiful Danube region of Wachau in Lower Austria.

The last weeks have been so incredibly hot that even the Austrian country side known for its lovely landscape displaying all shades of green has slowly turned into  sad 50 shades of brown.
People try to escape the heat in the city travleing to the many lakes that surround Vienna and having a refreshing swim, even it's only after office hours.
We had literally tropical nights with temperatures far beyond any historical record.
But it's not all about heat, there are as well the joys of summer such as:
-Wonderful ice cream at our favorite Italian ice cream parlor.  Zanoni in Down Town Vienna seems quite addictive to all my family.  http://www.zanoni.co.at/

-A delicious Frapuccino at one of the many traditional Viennese Cafes.

 -A refreshing swim at the gorgeous "Krapfenwaldl" public swimminig pool
 -Summer nights at one of the typical Heurigen, where white wine from the latest harvest is served, together with fresh and delightful simple food and typical Viennese music.
Fuhrgasselhuber at the district of Neustift is one of our favorites.
www.fuhrgassl-huber.at/

-Enjoying my favorite book under the shadow of an old tree
And there are as well all the gastronomic pleasures of summer.
One of them is the simple, light and refreshing Salmorejo.
This wonderful iced tomatoe soup comes originally from the Spanish region of Cordoba.
Its simple elegance and perfect harmony of flavors and textures makes it an all time summer favorite.

I got this recipe from my friend Pepe, a Spanish diplomat and  foodie with a passion for the delicious plates of his home country.
When we tried the Salmorejo at his home, I got carried away by it-s fantastic taste and was astonished how simple it is to prepare.
This is why I want to share this gorgeous little summer secret with you.
Less known abroad than it's cousin Gazpacho, it is very popular in Spain and is starting to conquer the many foreign visitors to Spain as well.
This is what you need:
1 cup of day old white bread. crusts discard, cut into chunks
1 kg of ripe red tomatoes,  peeled.
1/2 a cup of excellent quality Spanish olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed ( for me, just one worked fine)
1/4 cup of Balsamico vinegar (or Sherry vinegar)
1 hard boild egg and Jamon Serrano to garnish
Coarse salt
Preparation:
Cut out the cores of the tomatoes and divide each tomato into four.

Blend tomatoes at high speed until creamy..
Add the bread soaked in a bit tomato juice or water, the  garlic and the vinegar. Pulse through.
Add olive oil and if necessary a bit more of water and blend just to reach a creamy texture. At the end add the vinegar and mix again.
Check the seasoning, add more oil if necessary and this wonderful summer dish is ready.
Garnish with chopped hard boiled egg and chopped Jamon Serrano,


Serves 4 larger or 6 small p.
Enjoy!
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56 comments:

  1. Salmorejo is new to me. It surely looks very creamy and tasty!

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    1. Hi Angie,
      It's my families favorite summer treat.
      Cheers.

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  2. Hi Daniela, good to see you back in action. Despite the weather I'm sure you enjoyed your break. That's look creamy and appetizing, thanks for sharing the interesting recipe.

    Enjoyed looking at all the lovely pictures. Very well taken.
    Have a wonderful weekend, regards.
    Amelia

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    1. Hi Amelia,
      so good to hear from you my friend. Thanks for such a sweet feed back and for stopping by at my place. You too, have a wonderful weekend!

      Delete
  3. Glad you're having a wonderful summer break! And good to hear from you. We've certainly had periods of heat this summer, but overall it's been a bit more mild than usual -- lucky us! And we've gotten some tomatoes this year (finally outwitted the squirrels), so have the making of this. Lovely dish -- thanks.

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    1. Hi John,
      thanks for your good wishes. Now we are back to Peru and it's wnter here, never thought I'll be telling this, but the cold weather is quite nice for a change.
      Glad I could give some inspiration about what to do with the tomatoes you saved from the squirrels :)

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  4. This looks so good - I love the creaminess of it. Perfect for all those summer tomatoes and your presentation is lovely.

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    1. Thank you so much Amy! Glad to hear you enjoyed the Salmorejo and the presentation.
      Have a great week ahead.

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  5. When I make this, I will leave out all the garlic. I know it seems like heresy, but I am allergic! But I can imagine the cool creaminess and how refreshing it will be on a hot, desert evening. Once again, Daniela, thank you for all your wonderful suggestions for Salzburg. We took advantage of them all, I think! If you haven't been, the Christmas Museum has to be one of the most professional and delightful museums either one of us has visited. And, as a bonus, on that 38°C day we had, it was air conditioned! :)

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    1. P.S. - I forgot to mention that I lveo the way you used the jam jars tied with twine! So casual yet elegant!

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    2. Hi David,
      So happy to hear that you enjoyed your time in Salzburg and thanks a lot about your tip regarding the Christmas Museum. I don't know it yet but will drop by for sure on our next visit to Salzburg. And of course the AC is a huge extra bonus :)
      Now we are back to Peru and I must confess not unhappy at all about some cooler temperatures.
      Cheers

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  6. Salmorejo! This is bringing back beautiful memories of recent travels. I did just find a Spanish gastrobar in KL and they serve a wonderful bowl of this chilled soup. Yum!

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    1. Hi Monica,
      For sure Salmorejo is delicious but even better when it brings back such wonderful memories of holidays.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  7. I think I would love this! Especially with the abundance of tomatoes I have right now, Daniela. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Copying and saving :)

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    1. Hi Susan,
      So lovely to hear from you and happy to hear I could be of some assistance about what to prepare with your tomatoe harvest.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Delete
  8. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the images to load. I love the sound of the gazpachos. I've heard that Europe has had one of the hottest summers on record xx

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    1. Hi Charlie, so sorry to hear you couldn't open the images, no idea what might have happened.
      Truly what you heard about our last summer was no exaggeration, we nearly melted!
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I know gaspacho but Salmorejo is new to me and I am very curious. reminds me of an Italian tomato bread soup. Look wonderful. Keep cool!

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    1. Hi Evelyne,
      hope you try it out during summer, it's so refreshing and believe me- we needed something refreshing to hold on during the hottest summer in Austrian history.

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  10. I had no idea Gaspacho had a cousin! Salmorejo sounds and looks much much better than it's cousin! Thanks so you, I learned something new today! :)

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    1. Hi Shashi,
      Well it stays all in the family, but I agree the cousin looks much better :)

      Delete
  11. Hi Daniela, Salmorejo is totally new to me but it sure looks creamy and nice. The tomatoes really look so fresh and juicy. I hope that in spite of the heat, you are enjoying the ice creams and the swim in the lakes.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy,
      we really did enjoy all this little pleasures of summer and of course the best were the swims in the lakes, ice cream came to a close second.

      Delete
  12. Hi Daniela, Salmorejo is totally new to me but it sure looks creamy and nice. The tomatoes really look so fresh and juicy. I hope that in spite of the heat, you are enjoying the ice creams and the swim in the lakes.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Daniela, Salmorejo is totally new to me but it sure looks creamy and nice. The tomatoes really look so fresh and juicy. I hope that in spite of the heat, you are enjoying the ice creams and the swim in the lakes.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your photos are lovely, and the tomatoes look fresh and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your photos are lovely, and the tomatoes look fresh and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your photos are lovely, and the tomatoes look fresh and delicious!

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  17. It sounds like you're having the weather that many of us want in Australia (we like it hot generally speaking as it gets very hot in Summer).

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    1. Hi Lorraine,
      I suppose it was similar to the Australian summer. The difference is that in Central Europe there are usually no AC installed in the apartments because it very rarely gets so hot. So we were really melting :)

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  18. Wow - what a view!!! Sounds like a great time. I have to get some fresh tomatoes so I can try this!

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    1. Hi Ashley,
      We really had a great time and the Salmorejo was like an AC in a glass and badly needed with these temperatures.

      Delete
  19. HI Daniela, we are having the warmest summer ever in the pacific northwest and a water shortage, hope things turn around soon. Anyway, I love simple dishes like this that are bursting with flavor. Looks delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cheri,
      I had no idea you had a similar weather phenomena in your region.
      Hope the Salmorejo helps to refresh a bit.

      Delete
  20. This cold Spanish soup is refreshing. Perfect for a hot summer day! I know Gazpacho, but never tasted Salmorejo. Sounds so delicious!

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    1. Hi Zaza,
      Glad to hear I could introduce a new family member of Spanish summer soups.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  21. Oh wow! This gazpacho looks amazing! I love this kind of refreshing, cold soups! Great for summer!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Marcela,
      So glad to hear you enjoyed the post and net the new Gazpacho family member.

      Delete
  22. This look delicious Daniela , really cremous and nice, xo

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  23. Hi Daniela- everything in Vienna looks so nice and refreshing- all you need now is someone playing a Viennese waltz to top off a lovely afternoon!

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    1. Hi Fran,
      there is a park in Vienna ( the Stadtpark) where the play live waltz music and free dancing lessons every weekend. You just inspired me, haven't been there since a long time.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  24. This is the first time I've heard of salmorejo, but it certainly looks delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jasline,
      Glad to hear I could present something new to you.

      Delete
  25. I remember visiting a heurigen years ago when I visited Austria. Lovely! It's warm here, too, and I know fall is just around the corner so I'm trying to enjoy the heat.

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    1. Hi Beth,
      Heurigen and Vienna always goes together, it's probably all about the atmosphere that is quite unique in these places.

      Delete
  26. This looks wonderful! Fresh tomatoes and a bit of bread, lots of garlic and olive oil, what's not to love!
    Sorry to hear about the hot weather, I cannot tolerate heat so I totally understand feeling uncomfortable.
    It's coming into autumn for us and I cannot wait for cooler temps!

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    1. Hi Nazneen,
      So true,the heat can become quite unbearable and I hope you will enjoy a beautiful autumn with moderate temperatures.

      Delete
  27. I love the sound of this recipe. I must give it a try. Also, don't discard the bread crust, put the crust in a cuisinart and make your own bread crumbs for another dish like stuffed tomatoes or sprinkle over roasted fish. :) I love your presentation.

    California is waiting for El Niño that you spoke of on an earlier post. It has been extremely hot and dry.

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    1. Hi Madonna,
      You are so right, the bread crust makes wonderful breadcrumbs or croutons.
      Hope El Niño will not strike California, Peru and othe places too hard.

      Delete
  28. I really missed your lovely posts this summer - but this one cures all! The photos and the soup - wonderful! Welcome back :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Tricia for this sweet comment, you made my day :)

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