Salmorejo, as I am sure you know, is a Spanish recipe, but that is no reason for not making it when on holiday in Italy. I used to wonder what the difference is between this soup and the more commonly known Gazpacho. I have come to the conclusion that salmorejo includes bread, whereas gazpacho does not. They can both be smooth or chunky, and have essential ingredients of: tomatoes, olive oil, a bit of spice and some fresh herbs. They should also be served very cold with some toppings for extra texture. I give you below my latest version for Salmorejo. If you are making gazpacho, you can include other finely chopped salad ingredients such as cucumber and fennel. Some people may protest that this recipe is not authentic, but who cares?! It tasted good and used up some of the stale bread.
Recipe to Serve Two People
First cut up, or hack or tear your bread, depending on tools available. I used half of an average-sized crusty loaf. Blitz it in a blender or food processor, although large crumbs are best. If your loaf is not as stale as mine was, you could just tear it into small pieces.
Skin 6 large, juicy tomatoes by pouring boiled water over them and pulling off the skins with your hands. Add these to the blender with the bread still in. Add half a can of tomatoes, a glug of olive oil, half a handful of parsley and the same of basil, a teaspoon of hot, smoked paprika, some rosemary leaves and some tabasco if you have it. You could add a splash of any type of vinegar. Add a can of water and plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend it all together until it is not too smooth. Put into a jug in the fridge and add a few ice cubes if you have them. Chill for at least an hour. Meanwhile hard-boil two eggs, fry some chopped bacon with some cubed bread and chop a few cherry tomatoes. Chop some more parsley and basil. Serve the soup in bowls with the chopped garnishes on the side for people to help themselves to.
You will have noticed that this soup contains a little meat. The good news is that if you remove the bacon, it becomes a vegetarian recipe! Furthermore if you remove the eggs it becomes a vegan recipe! So simple! Enjoy!
