Spanish Soups - About Soups from Spain No products in your shopping cart. Spanish Soups Spain enjoys over three hundred days of sunshine a year so when it comes to a light lunch or something to keep you going then something cold and refreshing is usually called for especially during the hotter summer months. Gazpacho is one of the most famous of Spanish soups, a cold soup which is always served chilled – sometimes even with ice. Spanish gazpacho is a tremendously healthy cold soup and actually comes in several recipes variations, each offering a stark contrast in colour. Other cold soups include ‘salmorejo’ and cold melon soup both of which are welcome on a hot summers day. While Spain enjoys plenty of sunshine the winters can be very hard and cold particularly in high mountain areas such as the ‘sierras’ in the southern region of Andalucia. Indeed it is not uncommon to experience temperature as low as minus twenty degrees so when it comes to warming up there is nothing quite like a hearty winter soup to fuel the body.

Gazpacho – Spanish gazpacho is no doubt ‘the’ cold soup for the summer, in Spain gazpacho is homemade and can also be purchased in most supermarkets during the summer, organic varieties are also increasingly popular. The main ingredients in gazpacho are tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, red pepper, white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. There is some debate whether stale bread should be included in the ingredients list, certainly in days gone by the addition of bread helped bulk up and thicken the soup however your homemade gazpacho will taste just as good with or without it. Gazpacho is a very old recipe, made by peasants and farmworkers its roots are firmly in Andalucia but as you would expect there are various ‘authentic’ recipes. When making gazpacho at home, no matter which ingredients you use there are two ways to finish your soup, the traditional way of making the soup was to finely chop and pound the vegetables which resulted in a chunky soup, nowadays a quick pulse in the blender will ensure you achieve a good gazpacho with texture. The alternative finish is to blend for longer to create a ‘sauve’ gazpacho with a lighter creamier texture.

Spanish gazpacho can be served in several ways including a traditional soup bowl or in a glass (sometimes with ice), one way of impressing the guests for your homemade version is to create edible gazpacho shots by hollowing out segments of cucumber and filling them up with tapas sized ‘shots’ of the soup. Green Gazpacho – Green gazpacho or ‘gazpacho verde’ is a variation of the traditional recipe but with the absence of tomatoes. Green gazpacho also uses additional vegetables such as iceberg lettuce and spinach. More noticeably is the inclusion of sour cream which not just adds flavour but also consistency to the soup. This version of the popular soup also pairs extremely well with the famous Serrano ham or Spain which offers a mild saltiness to compliment the soup (the ham can also be lightly fried beforehand). White Gazpacho – This white version of gazpacho is said to have been introduced by the Moors in the eighth century making it even older than the traditional gazpacho we are used to seeing today, this of course would make sense as it was not until much later that Spain saw the introduction of tomatoes from the Americas.

The main ingredient in white gazpacho is blanched almonds, a little garlic delivers the flavour punch with the accompaniment of olive oil, sherry vinegar and stale bread to complete the line up. It may at first appear to be a mismatch of ingredients but consider that white gazpacho is a cold soup and those flavours really do work exceptionally well indeed. Sopa de Ajo – Garlic soup comes from the Castilla-Leon region of Spain and is one of those age old recipes that has developed into something different compared to its origins. In days gone by ‘sopa de ajo’ was consumed by peasants and was seen as a poor dish that was generally consumed on a daily basis. As a hot soup the recipe also used a mixture of ingredients from the ‘campo’, one of which was garlic, similarly to the Spanish paella which was also originally a peasants dish Spanish sopa de ajo can now be seen served in restaurants all over the world. As you would expect, the main ingredient is garlic sometimes with as many as a dozen cloves going into one recipe. SHOP SPANISH FOOD ONLINE > Salmorejo – ‘Salmorejo’ is a cold tomato soup from Cordoba in Andalucia.

The main ingredients in salmorejo are fresh vine tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, bread, vinegar and garlic. The use of bread in this soup makes it much thicker than gazpacho and the ingredients are normally pureed resulting in a smooth consistency. As with all regional recipes there are several variations however the main ingredients tend to be the same. Like gazpacho, salmorejo is usually enjoyed in the summer as a healthy and refreshing cold soup, it can easily be made at home and will keep refrigerated for 2 – 3 days. Melon Soup – Melon soup is one of the more popular Spanish soups during the summer months and like gazpacho, is served chilled. Melon soup uses honeydew melon and is also made with cucumber, the additional of plain yogurt is also popular. A cold soup for the summer and very refreshing this is another soup which also pairs very well with some crunchy lightly fried Serrano ham or cured pancetta. Seafood Chowder – Seafood chowder is a real speciality in Spain and can be seen on many a Spanish restaurant menu. Spain has coastlines on three sides and as such enjoys seafood from both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

The northern region of Galicia may be famous for its seafood but when it comes to seafood chowder you can rest assured that no matter where you are in Spain you will receive a good one! Recipes vary greatly from region to region, the base of the chowder remains pretty much the same but it is the seafood itself that can differ significantly. As a general rule Spanish seafood chowder will have a variety of white fish (hake is common), fresh mussels, clams and prawns or langoustines, you can however introduce squid, cuttlefish, razor clams and anything else that your fishmonger may have in fresh that day. Seafood chowder is one of those soups that is very easy to modify (our own version uses hot smoked paprika and cream) and served with plenty of fresh crusty bread this warming chowder can be a meal in itself. Caldo – The word ‘caldo’ means ‘stock’ and is also loosely used to mean soup, caldo is probably one of the most versatile meals/soups there is and as such there are dozens of variations depending on region and also ingredients.

One of the more popular variations of caldo is actually two meals in one, to make a nutritious caldo meat such as pork, chicken, pigs trotters etc are added to a pan of water (meat is often left on the bone for extra flavour), a range of vegetables are then added such as cabbage, kale, onions, carrots and potatoes with chickpeas towards the end. The caldo is then simmered until everything is cooked, at this point all the meat and vegetables are removed from the liquid and served as a main meal, the liquid or stock is then left for the day after. The stock itself is a hot, nutritious soup and it is quite common to see the soup reheated with the addition of ‘fideos’ which is a type of thin Spanish pasta. “The flavours coming from a large cocido are nothing short of spectacular” Cocido – Spanish ‘cocido’ is similar to caldo as it provides two meals from the same recipe, cocido however could be described as the daddy of all Spanish soups/stews, it also takes a long time to prepare and cook which is why the cocido is generally made when there are large family gatherings as this meal really is designed to feed a lot of people!

The first course of the cocido is the stock which is served as a starter soup, what follows are platters of vegetables and also meat which forms the main meal. The flavours coming from a large cocido are nothing short of spectacular – here is a list of typical ingredients: Ham, beef, pork, morcilla, chorizo, chickpeas, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Green beans and other vegetables like courgette can also be added or used to replace as cocido is traditionally quite a seasonal dish using vegetables available at any given time of year. For more flavour cracked black peppercorns can be added as well as garlic, saffron, bay and sometimes a tomato frito is used just to add a little ‘tang’ to proceedings. It is fair to say that a cocido uses a mountain of ingredients and with a pan to match you can see why in modern times this age old recipe is reserved for large family gatherings.

Just like the caldo and most soups the cocido can be adapted through ingredients and regional recipes are a good indicator of this – the Mallorcan version uses sobrasada and lamb, the Galician version turnip leaves and kale, the Andalucian version cured ham and the Basque versions adds red kidney beans. If there was ever a recipe with no rules then the Spanish cocido is it! Pumpkin Soup – Spanish pumpkin soup is definitely one for the winter, pumpkins can be seen outside most Spanish greengrocers and tend to be home grown and very large! Our own local green grocer can be seen carving segments which are then taken home to be either roasted, put into a caldo or made into soup. The pumpkin is always roasted first before being pureed, the addition of cream makes this soup delightful and there are also a whole range of additions that can be used to create different flavours, smoked paprika is popular as is garlic, black pepper and sometimes white beans are added. A real winter warmer and a soup with a delicious flavour.

Lentil Soup – Lentils and pulses such as beans and chickpeas are very popular in Spain and are enjoyed regularly, lentil soup or ‘sopa de lentejas’ is commonly served as a starter and can involve a whole host of other ingredients ranging from sliced chorizo, morcilla (black pudding sausage) and potatoes. Lentil soup, with the addition of Spanish sausages can quickly be turned into a heart winter meal with bold flavours and fantastic texture. Served piping hot with a drizzle of cream and plenty of fresh crusty bread Spanish lentil soup is a great one for the winter months. Cold Spanish soups like gazpacho and salmorejo are usually made in smaller quantities and be refrigerated for several days, hot soups and caldos are often made in larger quantities either for special occasions and also the fact that they can be frozen and reheated at a later date. With the introduction of modern kitchen equipment such as the blender making soup has become even quicker and easier however if you prefer to stick with older more traditional methods and want to make your Spanish soups, chowders and broths truly Spanish then there is a wide range of Spanish terracotta cookware suitable for the job.

In days gone by terracotta cookware was used to cook most meals in the campo by farm workers and clay cookware was made and used by peasants. This cookware can still be seen used today and is the ideal way to cook and create an authentic soup. Good examples of such cookware would be the ‘olla’ and also the ‘puchero’, the latter being almost identical to the olla but with the addition of handles, these clay vessels were traditionally hung over or placed on the open fire with the soup bubbling away inside, today, nothing much has changed as they both be used in exactly the same way as well as being perfectly at home on the gas hob or in the oven. Spanish Soup Recipes: Salmorejo: chilled Spanish tomato soup - CSMonitor.com Salmorejo: chilled Spanish tomato soup Latest News Salmorejo is gazpacho’s simpler cousin. It’s a fresh, chilled tomato soup without the added peppers and cucumbers. The Runaway Spoon View Caption of Salmorejo is gazpacho’s simpler cousin. It’s a fresh, chilled tomato soup without the added peppers, cucumbers and other business found in gazpacho.

I’m not a huge fan of gazpacho, because it varies so wildly and people seem to put all kinds of crazy ingredients in it. You never know what you are going to get. But Salmorejo is right up my alley. I first tasted Salmorejo in its homeland of Andalucia in Southern Spain but forgot the exact name of the dish and didn’t do much research when I came home. But a few years ago, I was staying with friends near the beach close to Valencia, Spain and on a trip to the grocery store, I saw cartons of chilled Salmorejo (next to the cartons of gazpacho) and suddenly remembered the lovely soup from my earlier trip. We grabbed a couple of cartons and served them for lunch. Unfortunately, the first carton tasted a little off…. So we opened the next carton and it exploded all over the patio. I think it had fermented. I was kind of embarrassed that I had insisted on buying it. Oddly, I took this as a challenge and decided when I came home, I had to explore the recipe. I read many, many recipes and most simply blend the ingredients, chill and serve.

But this method for soaking the ingredients mellows the soup, cutting the bite of the onions and garlic and softening the tomato skins. The soaked bread is a simple thickener often found in Mediterranean dishes. Use half a crusty baguette and serve the rest with the soup, or use up some older, slightly dried leftover crusty bread. Recommended: 11 chilled soups for summer I saw a picture of a chilled soup with olive oil ice cubes floating in the bowl in a magazine years and years ago and it stuck in my head waiting for the right application. I don’t generally recommend buying specialty kitchen equipment, but I found some little round ice cube trays at a dollar store, so seek them out, they are pretty inexpensive. You can always use them for plain ice cubes. If you don’t have a small ice cube tray, drizzle the soup with a fruity, quality olive oil. Salmorejo is traditionally served with whisper thin pieces of jamon Serrano and sometimes boiled eggs. You could also serve the parsley picada from this wonderful White Gazpacho recipe. 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar salt and pepper to taste 1.

Divide the 1/4 cup olive oil between the cubes of an small ice cube tray (about 2 teaspoons a cube). Freeze until firm, 8 hours or overnight. 2. Slice the onion and place in a large bowl. Half or quarter the tomatoes (depending on size) and place in the bowl. Tear the bread into large chunks and add to the bowl with the crushed garlic cloves and the salt. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave to soak for an hour. 3. Drain the tomato and bread mixture over a bowl, reserving the soaking liquid. Pick out the tomatoes, onions and garlic as best you can and place in a blender. Add the 1/2 cup olive oil and the vinegar and a little of the soaking liquid and blend to a rough puree. Use your hands and the back of a spatula to press as much liquid as possible out of the bread and add it to the blender. Turn on the blender and puree, drizzling in some of the soaking liquid, until you have a smooth, creamy soup. If you would like a silky soup, pour it through a strainer into a bowl, pushing all the liquid through.

Let the soup cool, then cover and chill for several hours or overnight. 4. Serve the soup cold with frozen olive oil floating in each bowl. Related post on The Runaway Spoon: White Gazpacho with Parsley Picada The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of food bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs and their recipes. All readers are free to make ingredient substitutions to satisfy their dietary preferences, including not using wine (or substituting cooking wine) when a recipe calls for it. To contact us about a blogger, click here . Next up Salmorejo (Cold Spanish Tomato Soup) | That Paleo Couple Salmorejo (Cold Spanish Tomato Soup) cooking , diet , food , health , paleo , soup Salmorejo is a cold tomato soup like gazpacho, but it is richer in flavor and more pinkish-orange in color because it is traditionally made by puréeing bread soaked in water with the tomatoes. Rather than learning to bake a paleo-friendly baguette, we decided to replace the bread with unsalted cashews.

It’s been years since I visited Spain, but I still remember savoring a bowl of Salmorejo in a cafe with a girl I befriended while visiting Alcázar de San Juan, south of Madrid. Most days we met for coffee and chocolate filled pastries for breakfast, but that day we did lunch. It was warm and sunny, and the chilled soup was exactly what my body craved after taking a run that morning. My memory isn’t perfect, but I remember that soup and I think our version with cashews instead of bread is pretty close to perfection. We hope you enjoy our salmorejo this spring and summer. I think it’s going to be a new staple for us! Also, if you want an interesting twist on gazpacho, check out our Sweet Potato Gazpacho . Both of these chilled soups are delicious anytime of day when it’s hot and they would be perfect as appetizers for a warm evening dinner party. Ingredients 8-10 Roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded 2 cloves garlic, crushed Method Place tomatoes, garlic, cashews, onion, and 1 Tbsp salt into a large bowl.

Pour boiling water over the vegetables and cashew mix, and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Drain the water. Add the vegetables and cashews to a Vitamix or blender. Pour in sherry vinegar and oil, and add the 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Then cool completely. Serve, garnish with hard-boiled egg and prosciutto, and enjoy. Keep up with the latest recipes from Brent and me! Click subscribe on our left-hand navigation and share this recipe using the buttons below. You can also follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram for fun tips, news, and more! Salmorejo Salmorejo - chilled tomato soup - Salmorejo – chilled tomato soup – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Salmorejo – koude tomatensoep – What is a person without friends? Not much in my case. It’s so fun though, moving to the other side of the world with just your husband and spending lots of time together. But of course I also need to do things with friends: going to see a movie, going for a walk around the block or simply meeting for coffee. Those moment are important for talks about all things women.

Dieting, running a household, clothes… you know the drill. Things that P doesn’t care about, because why should he care when I walked out of the beauty salon with a bloody scrape after they waxed my eyebrows to liberal? Or why should he care when I leave the store with a bag full of cute tops and dresses for less than $50 (yay for additional sale on top of the regular sale!). And not to speak about those cute sandals that I bought for just $19 and that look alike the Steve Madden shoes that my sister bought. The recipe and photo for this delicious Salmorejo is partly created thanks to friends. What do I say? Without girlfriend I. I wouldn’t even have known about the existence of this delicious chilled tomato soup. It must have been around the same time, I just posted the recipe for Gazpacho and I shared the pics as usual on social media. Friend I. responded by asking me whether I knew Salmorejo. Uhm nope! I started googling and it seemed great! Salmorejo is originally from Andalusia, in southern Spain and just like gazpacho it’s a tomato soup that you serve cold.

Only this is much creamier because it contains a baguette. Waaaaaah! Sounds good right? Shortly after discovering Salmorejo my girlfriend S. gave me six very beautiful wooden bowls, as she was moving to a smaller apartment and thought that I could appreciate those beautiful bowls. Good thinking S.! They are beautiful and they make me very happy. And such wonderful bowls ask for an equally wonderful recipe for a delicious creamy chilled tomato soup. I knew it, this combination was destined! I had to make almorejo and shoot it in those beautiful wooden bowls. I read a few Salmorejo recipes, one recipe slightly differently than the other. One chose to peel the tomatoes first and the other used only the inner white bread of the baguette. But the most fun recipe to me is the recipe that I found at Saveur , where the tomatoes and bread are first soaked for an hour in boiling water. Fun! Playing with your food, count me in! So I went to work with a delicious soup as a result. And shall I tell you a secret? I think Salmorejo is actually way better than Gazpacho 😉 Salmorejo is traditionally served with crumbled hard-boiled eggs and serrano on top.

Serrano’s hard to get in LA, so I used prosciutto. And I loved to bake those briefly and crumble them in pieces. Yum! Extremely perfect for those hot LA summers, and it leaves me with the feeling that I “cooked” without having to stand in a hot kitchen for a long time. Salmorejo (Spanish Chilled Tomato Soup) - Always Order Dessert Always Order Dessert Recipes for delicious living, by Alejandra Ramos June 18, 2014 Salmorejo (Spanish Chilled Tomato Soup) Back in September, Eugene and I spent a couple weeks traveling around Portugal and Spain. I wrote a few posts about our Portugal trip , but I...uh...never quite got around to writing about Spain. (Sorry!) I have, however, kept a long list of dishes I tried while there, that I've been meaning to recreate. Chief among these was Salmorejo, a chilled, creamy raw tomato soup from the south of Spain that was one of Eugene's favorite things he ate during the entire trip. Now that we're getting closer to tomato season (yay!), I figured it was time to finally share it.

Salmorejo is similar in flavor to the better known gazpacho, but the texture is totally different. It's thick, creamy and absolutely luscious. The thickness comes from the addition of toasted bread, which absorbs excess liquid and thickens the puree. The ingredients are otherwise super simple: ripe tomatoes, raw garlic, toasted almonds, fruity olive oil and a dash of sherry vinegar, then is served topped with chopped egg and jamon. (I subbed a little fried cured chorizo, which I always have in my fridge. Bacon or prosciutto would also work well here!) One thing I should note is about the preparation. The soup is made from totally raw ingredients, which means you don't have to turn on the stove, but there is still a trick to prepping the tomatoes. In order to get a really smooth and creamy soup, you have to first squeeze out the seeds and watery pulp. It may be really tempting to skip this step, but DO NOT. It really makes a huge difference...and it's easy. And it's fun! I explain how to best do this below--just trust me on this... **** Love Always Order Dessert? Let's connect!

Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest , become a fan on Facebook , or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates . And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me . Thanks for reading! Salmorejo (Spanish Chilled Tomato Soup) Serves 4-6 Spanish Cold Soups, Beloved Family Recipes Traditional summer dishes that help beat the heat Spanish gazpacho, a fresh summer recipe. Toya Legido/©ICEX. Author: Rodrigo García Fernández/©ICEX. Translation: Adrienne Smith/©ICEX. Food and fashion have something in common: the spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons. In those latitudes where seasonal changes are dramatic, eating and clothing styles change in search of the greatest measure of comfort. During the hottest months of the year, we exchange our overcoats for lighter garments, and substitute soups and stews with lighter and fresher replacements. What is the king of summer recipes? Without a doubt, it’s gazpacho. Fortunately, it belongs to a family of wonderful royal relatives. Let’s take a look at our cookbook, in search of refreshment, nutrition and enticing flavors.

Ripe tomatoes , cucumber , pepper , white bread, extra virgin olive oil , vinegar , water, salt and a touch of garlic ; put them together in a bowl and all they need is a blender to turn them into a cold soup. These ingredients, and nothing more, are what go into traditional Andalusian gazpacho, a dish that, contrary to what it might seem, was popular only in the south of Spain until a few decades ago. According to food writer and critic Cristino Álvarez , who specializes in Spanish cuisine: “In the 1960’s it wasn’t common to bring together the concepts of soup and cold in one plate, in fact they seemed almost mutually exclusive.” The origins of gazpacho are found, “in the eating habits of Andalusian farmers, who had to endure hard days of working in the fields and extremely high temperatures”. From here, popular imagination “created a refreshing recipe using easy-to-come-by vegetables that, above all, were very nutritious”. In general, when we talk about gazpacho, we are usually referring to the red gazpacho from Seville, which uses tomatoes as the main ingredient.

We can therefore trace this dish’s origins to the 17th century when the earliest references were made to the culinary adaptation of this vegetable, which made its way to Europe thanks to the Spanish conquest of American territories. One of these testimonies was offered by Francisco Hernández in his tome, Rerum Medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesaurus, published around 1630. There he alludes to the recipe for the gazpacho of the future in his description of how they (tomatoes), when dressed with olive oil and vinegar and “ground up and mixed with chili, make a very nice sauce which improves the taste of nearly all foodstuffs and stimulates the appetite” The freshness of gazpacho Given the correct proportion of ingredients, gazpacho is a simple and quick recipe that need only chill for a few hours in the refrigerator to reach the desired temperature. It can be served as a first course, as an appetizer in a small glass, or as a refreshing mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. It captures the essence of culinary simplicity in the name of good health, thanks to its high levels of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. The only fat found in this cold soup comes from its extra virgin olive oil.

This healthy, monounsaturated fat containing oleic acid is beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. There are many restaurants, particularly in Andalusia , where good gazpacho is considered a gastronomic jewel. One of these is El Churrasco , in the center of the historic city of Cordoba, whose recipe reflects a maximum respect for popular Andalusian tradition. Another well-known example is the gazpacho made at Juanito , a family-owned restaurant in Úbeda (Jaén) that is renowned for its home cooking. As has become the norm in recent years, tradition has served as inspiration for the great chefs of Spanish avant-garde cuisine, and gazpacho has been no exception. Creative minds like that of Andalusian chef José Carlos García (of the restaurant by the same name in Malaga) have been creating appetizing versions of this dish like his Strawberry gazpacho with Ibérico ham dust and oyster snow . Outside of Spain, gazpacho is included on the menus of many prestigious restaurants.

An example of this is the version prepared by Chef Nacho Manzano at his threeIbérica Food & Culture restaurants (in Canary Wharf , Marylebone and Farrindong ) in London, where the menu features a Gazpacho of red berries, beetroot & anchovy. The simplicity of 'salmorejo' Although gazpacho is currently one of the most recognizable Spanish dishes in the world, it’s only fair to note that Spanish cuisine includes a range of other equally appetizing and healthy cold soups. It’s also important to remember that the majority of cold Spanish soups are from the same region, Andalusia, due to its hot climate. One of these is salmorejo , a cold soup that shares some of the same ingredients as gazpacho, but that also asserts its own identity. The growing international popularity of this soup is demonstrated by its increasingly frequent appearances on the menus of Spanish restaurants abroad ( José Andrés offers it in Jaleo ), or as the subject of articles in international publications, such as one published in The Wall Street Journal .It can be said that salmorejo and gazpacho are cousins.

Both recipes include tomatoes, bread, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (best if it’s Sherry vinegar ) and a clove of garlic. In the case of salmorejo, however, the final result is creamier and less acidic than gazpacho, and is served with small pieces of Ibérico or Serrano ham and hard-boiled egg. For most people, Córdoba is the cradle of salmorejo, a city where it is served both as a main course and as part of a rich pairing with breaded eggplant and Spanish tortilla (potato omelet), among other tapas. Andalusian restaurant Sanlúcar, located in the center of Madrid, pays worthy homage to this traditional recipe. Hot summer Sundays in the Spanish capital are infinitely easier to bear while enjoying salmorejo and a glass of chilled manzanilla in this tavern hidden in the popular neighborhood of La Latina . The delicacy of 'ajoblanco' The third typically Andalusian cold soup is ajoblanco. If gazpacho is sentimentally connected to Seville and salmorejo to Córdoba, then ajoblanco is linked in its heart and soul to Málaga.

With this soup we leave the red and orange colors behind, and move on to ivory, almost white tones. Ajoblanco is a cold soup made with raw almonds , extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, a little bit of garlic, water and salt. It is traditionally accompanied by grapes or even small pieces of melon. Avant-garde chefs have also been seduced by this evocative cold soup. Dani García , of Calima restaurant in Marbella and Manzanilla gastrobar in Málaga (the opening of a second Manzanilla in New York is planned for late 2012), created the surprising recipes for Cherimoya ajoblanco, Lustau East India Solera and essence of orange and lemon . and Málaga ajoblanco mousse with smoked cod, orange and Cuquillo olives . But if what we are looking for is a typical ajoblanco, with the flavors and textures dictated by the traditional recipe, a good option is to go up to the overlook of the Parador of Málaga Gibralfaro , and take in panoramic views of the city while enjoying the delicate quality of this summer soup.

Available in gourmet stores Despite the fact that gazpacho, salmorejo and ajoblanco are not complicated to make at home, provided that top quality Spanish ingredients are used, it is not unusual for consumers to purchase these cold soups in pre-prepared, ready-to-eat form. For years it was unthinkable, but now there are several Spanish food companies that sell these cold soups, which are made using a careful selection of raw materials without loosing sight of the original recipes. The ability to keep the soups refrigerated throughout the production process makes it possible to keep them in optimum conditions. One of the leading companies in the export of pre-prepared cold soups is Alvalle , which belongs to Tropicana and has its headquarters in the Region of Murcia . Sources from the company affirm that 40% of the gazpacho made in the Murcia factory is exported to countries like France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Companies that produce in smaller volume, like Bajamar-Mamía from Navarra or Ferrer from Catalonia , have also managed to successfully place their gazpachos on the shelves of gourmet stores in Europe and the United States.

CV Traditional Chilled Andalusian Tomato Soup (Salmorejo Cordobés) | The Latin Kitchen Home Page | Recipes | Recipes | Traditional Chilled Andalusian Tomato Soup (Salmorejo Cordobés) Traditional Chilled Andalusian Tomato Soup (Salmorejo Cordobés) Recipe Submitted By Melissa Guerra Spanish tables traditionally feature chilled soups, especially along the hot, southern coastal towns of Andalucía. A close cousin to gazpacho, this traditional salmorejo can be enjoyed as a dip for vegetables, bread sticks, and works well as a mid afternoon pick-me-up at work. Ingredients best quality spanish olive oil * extra spanish olive oil for garnish 1 Jamon Serrano (thickly cut then diced) Directions Using a food processor, puree the tomatoes. Pour the puree through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and skins. Return half of the tomato puree to the processor, and add the garlic and a portion of the bread and olive oil (do not over fill processor). Puree the ingredients until smooth, processing in batches until all of the ingredients have been pureed. Store the salmorejo in the refrigerator before serving. Salmorejo is best when prepared a day in advance.

Stir in any desired added salt right before serving, as the flavor will develop while it is stored in the refrigerator. Serve in individual cups, each garnished with a few drops of olive oil, chopped boiled egg and diced Jamon Serrano. TIP: Spend a little bit extra and get the reddest, ripest tomatoes available. The authenticity and flavor of your Spanish salmorejo doesn’t depend on a recipe, but on the quality of the tomatoes. Also, the bread should be dense, artisan bakery quality bread for best results. Servings Enter Quantity Spanish Gazpacho Recipe, History and Tips By Noah Charney on May 22, 2015 I have fond memories of sitting outside the Mezquita in Cordoba, one of the architectural wonders of the world, and eating a bowl of traditional gazpacho, the fragrant, cooling cold tomato soup that is ideal for summer days. I have an equally fond memory of sitting outside the entrance to the Alhambra in Granada, one of the architectural wonders of the world, and eating another bowl of gazpacho. And another in Seville. And so on.

Yes, you could trace my path through southern Spain with bowls of gazpacho, its creamier cousin, salmorejo, and patas bravas and pimientos del padron. Gazpacho is transformative, an Andalusian relative of Proust’s tea-dipped madeleine. But, of course, I’d never before tried to make it. THE ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO Andalusia, in the south of Spain, retains a rich inheritance from its many centuries as an Islamic stronghold, and its cuisine is the better for it. Like so many of the best dishes, it is simple, but offers up many opportunities for variation, both traditional and avant-garde. At its most basic, Andalusian gazpacho is a cold soup of tomato, onion, garlic, olive oil, water, salt, cucumber, bell pepper and stale bread. That’s it. Puree the solid ingredients, then add the liquids and salt to taste and blend. If you’re a purist, you can smash the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle, but a food processor or immersion blender will do (as long as you don’t mind the foam and uniform smoothness that accompany mechanized blending).

Gazpacho can be more fun to eat with an assortment of add-ins served on the side: chopped ham, chopped hard–boiled eggs (these two traditionally top salmorejo, a Cordoba-specific alternative version of gazpacho), almonds, orange, mint, and more. GAZPACHO OR SALMOREJO? I must confess that I actually enjoy salmorejo more than gazpacho. It feels like more of a meal, because it contains more bread (meaning that it is also a peachier colour, rather than tomato red), whereas gazpacho almost feels like a drink. The “meatier’ mix-ins that accompany salmorejo – egg, ham and sometimes even tuna – also make it more filling, whereas gazpacho is necessarily an appetiser or side, rather than a main. There is also Ajoblanco, a version that amps up the “white garlic” of its name , popular in Malaga and Granada, which includes almonds. Arranque roteno uses very little water, so is more of a creamy soup than a thirst-quencher.

In Extremadura, cojondongo is likewise a thicker rendition of the main dish, with the addition of chopped onions and vinegar. In the province of Avila, chunks of vegetables float in the vegetable puree. The only not-really-proper gazpacho that nevertheless bears the name is Gazpacho manchego, which is from La Mancha, and is actually a meat stew. Any of the other variants are acceptable as the real thing. GAZPACHO: A DEFINITION Gazpacho’s origins are murky, even its name. It sounds Arabic, and it certainly could be. The Hebrew, gazaz, means to “break into little pieces,” which is appropriate enough, but so is the Latin word caspa, which likewise means “little pieces.” As we have seen in this series, etymology of food names is an inexact science. Roman soldiers used to carry dry bread, garlic and vinegar with which to prepare meals on the march, and so a tomato-less version might be the predecessor. Tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers, key ingredients, are all indigenous to the Americas, so they could only have entered the recipe from the 16th century on.

Of all the dishes I’ve made for the Cooking the Classics series , this is one of the easiest. Especially with modern blenders, you can’t go wrong. I intentionally complicated a bit, by making gazpacho, salmorejo and ajoblanco, to have a taste test. The only difference is the ratio of tomato to bread (gazpacho is mostly tomato, salmorejo is more bread, and ajoblanco has no tomato, but almonds instead). This makes for a great party food, because the cold soups can be made in advance and wait in the fridge. You can chop up the fun mix-ins and place them in small bowls, and let people do their own taste test. Me? I’m still a salmorejo man, but it’ll never be quite as good as it tastes under the hot Cordoban sun, a few steps from the Mezquita. A popular Spanish saying goes De gazpacho no hay empacho: 'you can never have too much of a good thing' … or too much gazpacho. So when the weather turns hot, cool down, Andalusian style. Antonia's Salmorejo Recipe - An Insider's Spain Travel Blog & Spain Food Blog!

An Insider's Spain Travel Blog & Spain Food Blog! You are here: Home / Food / Antonia’s Salmorejo Recipe Antonia’s Salmorejo Recipe Lauren Aloise 75 Comments Creamy salmorejo with ham and egg. The first time I wrote about salmorejo, one of my favorite Spanish foods, was here . I had just made some for the first time on my own and was very proud that it had turned out almost exactly like my mother-in-law’s famous salmorejo recipe. Antonia makes the best salmorejo I’ve ever had. I’ve tried other versions in Cordoba, Sevilla, Cadiz and Madrid but nothing has ever been quite as delicious. Salmorejo is one of those things that you eat that leaves you feeling 100% satisfied and is super healthy at the same time. It’s a great dish for keeping trim and is loaded with antioxidants. What is salmorejo? Most people probably aren’t familiar with gazpacho’s thicker, creamier cousin.

While gazpacho is a cold tomato and vegetable soup (often consumed straight from the glass like a V8 juice), salmorejo is simply fresh tomatoes and perhaps a clove of garlic, blended with stale bread, extra virgin olive oil , and sherry vinegar. The way the olive oil and tomatoes emulsify gives the soup a creaminess that cause many people to think that there is actually cream in the soup! Most people top the cold soup with hardboiled egg and cured Spanish ham , which I would definitely recommend! Salmorejo is one of my favorite foods! A tough start The first time I tried salmorejo was a complete fluke. I was convinced that cold soups were the enemy after a bad experience with gazpacho years prior. But one day I came home from work absolutely ravenous and Ale’s mom had sent us home with some salmorejo on our weekend visit. No one else was home, so I figured I would just heat it up and no one would be the wiser. Luckily, the salmorejo never made it to the pot. I took one bite, followed by another, and then another. It was delicious.

I couldn’t believe I’d been missing out on this fresh explosion of flavors for so long. My salmorejo recipe After such a long time singing its praises I know I owe everyone the recipe. So, here it is, the best Salmorejo recipe you will ever try (in my humble, but experienced opinion!). It’s also easy to make and inexpensive, although the key to great salmorejo is using the best quality tomatoes and extra virgin Spanish olive oil . Let me know if you try the recipe! Antonia’s Salmorejo Salmorejo | The Gilded Fork by Chef Mark Tafoya This soup recipe is a classic of Andalusian cookery, and originated in the historic town of Cordoba, home of the Mezquita, a gem of Moorish architecture. Salmorejo is often served room temperature or even cold as a perfect antidote to the long, hot summer evenings of Andalusia . The bold flavors of this soup are perfect for Dad on Father’s Day.

4-6 servings 4 slices good quality day-old white bread, crusts removed 2 pounds ripe vine-ripened tomatoes 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced into quarters 4 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar ½ cup finest quality extra virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish) Kosher salt, to taste ½ cup chopped Serrano ham 1 hard boiled egg, chopped ¼ cup heavy cream Food processor or food mill Preparation Remove the crusts from the bread slices and soak in enough water to just cover until softened. Cut a small “x” on the bottom of each tomato and briefly blanch them in boiling water, then remove to an ice bath. The skin should come off easily using this technique. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, and place along with the chopped garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Drain the bread, squeezing out any excess water and add to the food processor. Process until smooth and all ingredients have been well incorporated; the resulting paste should be thick and homogenous. Blend in the sherry vinegar and season with salt, processing again. Once the mixture is homogenous, blend in the olive oil a little at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.

[Chef’s Note: Process the soup in short pulses, and stop to taste as you go before adding more water, vinegar or oil. Marina Diez of Cuisine From Spain notes that “It might be annoying to start and stop so many times but I find that is the only way to get the taste that one likes, which also depends on the acidity of the tomatoes, so the taste might vary each time. It is also important to follow the order, for example water should always be added before the oil.” This is a base recipe, and can be adjusted to taste by adding chopped hard boiled egg or chopped Serrano ham. You can also change the quality of the soup by first passing it through a food mill, then blending in a little heavy cream. Alternatively, you may add a little water to thin it out, and serve it chilled like a gazpacho. You can also use more or less garlic, to suit your taste, or add more vinegar for a more tart flavor.] Recipe by Mark Tafoya

Question: What is the flavour of the Spanish soups Gazpacho and Salmorejo, which are traditionally served chilled?
Answer: TOMATO