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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Pesto Rosso & Pesto Verde- It's All In The Family

Pesto comes in many variations, colors and flavors, is always delightful and is the perfect summer dish.
It is easy to prepare and can be made up to 3-4 days in advance- the ideal sauce to jazz up your summer party.
Pesto verde -this traditional cream sauce comes originally from Genova and is often called Pesto Alla Genovese.

 

I love everything about it:
The color, the fresh herbs that are used in the preparation, the wonderful aroma and last not least it's versatility.
According to my Italian friends pesto tastes much better when crushed with a  pestle in a  marble mortar and I think they are quite right.
Unfortunately I do not own a marble mortar and so I had to restrict myself to a boring food processor but the pesto turned out delicious, despite of this little detail.
One of the things that fascinates me about pesto is it's multiple use.
 Just rely on your creativity, use the ingredients you have at hand and I promise you won't be disappointed.
Here are some of the many ways to create delightful dishes with this marvellous sauce.
-Pesto tomatoe crostini
-Pesto spring salad (top all kind of seasonal veggies with a Pesto dressing, then sprinkle with shaved Parmesan)
-Cream cheese Pesto linguini (Cook linguini al dente, mix pesto with soft cream cheese and mix pasta with the Pesto-cheese mixture)
-Pesto butter (mix Pesto with soft butter, tastes wonderful on grilled steak

It's sister, Pesto Rosso or Pesto alla Siciliana tastes fantastic as well and is made with sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor and texture.

You can use it as
-A delicious dip
-Pizza al Pesto Rosso with addition of fresh tomatoes, feta cheese and rucola
-Spaghetti and prawns al Pesto Rosso
- Chicken or fish gratinated with Parmesan cheese and Pesto Rosso
Please take note that for Pesto there is no need for exact quantities. Just trust your sense of taste  and play around a bit with the quantities of  the ingredients.
For the Pesto Verde you need :

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of slightly toasted pine nuts or almonds
1/3 cup of good quality Extra Virgin olive oil
1/4 freshly, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves, previously blanched for 1 minute in simmering water
1/2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice(optional)
Salt and pepper
Method :
Place  all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until obtaining a creamy but not to smooth consistence. If necessary add a bit more olive.  With machine running add the oil in a steady stream.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or keep in an air tight container and drizzle some extra oil over the top.

Garnish with Basil leaves and toasted pine nuts.
Makes 1to 1/4 cup of pesto.

For the Pesto Rosso you need:

1 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
1 1/2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Pine nuts, slightly roasted
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup fresh Basil leaves
1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt*, freshly ground black pepper
*Add very little salt as the sun dried tomatoes are usually quite salty
Method:
Basically the same as for Pesto Verde.
Place  all ingredients in a food processor and pulse obtaining a creamy but not to smooth consistence. If necessary add a bit more olive oil.With machine running add the oil in a steady stream.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or keep in an air tight container and drizzle some extra oil over the top.

Garnish with Basil leaves and toasted pine nuts.
Makes 1to 1/4 cup of pesto.

Enjoy! see you next week.

 

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