Guest Post : Salmorejo
Today's entry is a guest post by Lauren Aloise, an expat blogger based out of Spain. She's a newlywed based out of Madrid, and her blog is full of Spanish recipes and awesome anecdotes. When I proposed a guest post to her, she asked if she could do salmorejo, one of my favorite soups in the world. Of course, I said yes. Take it away, Lauren!
I was starving the first time I tried salmorejo. Little did I know I would be trying my favorite dish in Spain.
You see, I was convinced I hated cold soups. I put salmorejo in the same category as gazpacho (which I also thought I hated at the time). The menus in Seville translated it as "cold tomato cream". It didn't sound too appetizing.
But I came home from work that fateful day absolutely ravenous, and upon opening the fridge I saw only one thing: my mother-in-law's tupperware filled with bright pink salmorejo.
I was alone and had no shame, so despite being told it was the equivalent of a mortal sin, I brought the soup over to the stove to heat it up. It may have been made to be eaten cold, but I was fairly certain that it wouldn't explode when heated, despite what my mother-in-law might have warned.
Call it divine intervention, but that salmorejo never made it to the pot. My hunger took control of my actions and spoon to mouth I was eating the salmorejo cold-- and I loved every bite.
The fusion of cold ripe tomatoes, silky extra virgin olive oil, creamy hard boiled egg and salty serrano ham was overwhelming. I couldn't imagine why I hadn't eaten the stuff much earlier.
I wound up getting over of all my cold soup phobias, and my favorite dishes (especially in summer) are creamy salmorejo, spicy gazpacho, and savory ajo blanco. I gained points with my mother-in-law by having her teach me to make each of these dishes, despite the fact that I already had my favorite recipes at home. It didn't matter-- as far as she was concerned I was learning everything for the first time in her kitchen.
I hate choosing favorites in any category, but I honestly might say that salmorejo is my favorite Spanish dish. Highlighting some of the country's best products (tomatoes, garlic, sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, hard boiled egg, and jamón) it just works. When it comes to cold soups, I’ve decided that the Spanish know what they're talking about.