When summer is in full swing, and the temperatures rise, there are quite a few days where even I don’t feel like cooking dinner!
So when I stopped by the farmers market on Saturday morning, I noticed several vegetable stands overflowing with perfectly ripe tomatoes. There were bright red heirloom tomatoes, pale yellow slicers, and several kinds of cherry tomatoes. All bursting with color and smelling like tomatoes should smell!
While I was picking out some padrones peppers for roasting, memories from our trip to Spain several years ago came back! While exploring Tarragona, we ate at one of the small bar/restaurants on several hot afternoons. We had stumbled across it looking for the Roman Museum, and instantly liked the place. We plopped ourselves down in the shade of a Salmorejo colored umbrella, ordered some ice-cold lemonade, a slice of house pizza and of course, some of Gazpacho’s famous cousin, Salmorejo.
This was the first time I had ever encountered this cold soup. This reddish-pink concoction was served in a chilled, tall glass garnished with olives. The flavor was absolutely out-of-this-world! I just had to ask the waitress how Salmorejo was made! “Tomatoes, bread, garlic, a little vinegar and a pinch or two of salt”, she answered with a smile. I had a hard time believing this, because it just seemed impossible to create something this flavorful with just a handful of ingredients.
The secret for the very best result is using nothing but the very best tomatoes! It won’t be nearly as good with supermarket type tomatoes! Also, don’t forgo the cucumber and capers! The tart, salty and pickled capers add a whole other dimension. If you are not familiar with capers, try them! They are the flower buds of a mediterranean shrub. In a pinch, you can also use some good olives. But I do think the capers are better with this soup.
Back to reality! After I picked out some padrones peppers, I decided to get a bunch of tomatoes to finally make this soup! Allison had some very ripe (exactly the kind you want for this recipe!) tomatoes, which I got for a bargain! Thank you Allison and Ryan for working hard growing these beautiful veggies! Your farm stand rocks!!
Here is the recipe:
- about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of really ripe tomatoes, preferably home-grown or from the farmers market
- a few cloves of garlic, peeled (roasted garlic is also tasty)
- a chunk of baguette, stale is okay
- a little sea salt
- red wine or sherry vinegar
- good quality olive oilolive oil
- some capers (olive bars at the grocery store is a good way to get some)
- some finely chopped cucumber
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into large chunks.
Put them into the blender.
Add the garlic, a little salt, a piece of french bread ( about 3 inches), 1/3 cup of vinegar and olive oil each.
Puree until the soup is completely smooth.
Taste, adjust seasoning if needed.
Chill the soup until very cold.
To serve this, garnish the individual bowls with a teaspoon or two of capers and a few tablespoons of the chopped cucumber.
Enjoy!
Salmorejo with Capers and Cucumber
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Once again Tasty Tuesday makes my morning! I definitely want to try this but will have to wait until I get my hands on some really good tomatoes. I’ve never even heard of this soup before but it looks delicious and any recipe that calls for capers is my kind of recipe. Thanks for sharing Sabine. Did I ever tell you that I made the upside down cobbler with plums and then again with peaches? Absolutely wonderful! Excellent dessert and really good for breakfast too. 🙂
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Hi Anne! I think you’ll like this soup. I first learned about it in Spain, and couldn’t help but fall in love with it. Thanks for letting me know about the cobbler. I will have to make it again soon. Peaches sound really good too!
Thanks for always reading, commenting and trying the recipes! 😀
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Wow, as warm as it has been this is a great idea. In fact I was just reading through several tomato recipes on Bon Appetit this morning. I love capers added to things, too. Salty, briny but pickled all at the same time. Thanks!!
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And it’s just starting to heat up here! I’ve got more tomatoes, and will make this again today. I should make some gazpacho as well!
Stay cool Missy, and have a good week! If you come up with something tasty from your search, I’d love to read about it on your blog!
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I’ll keep you posted! Have a great week, too.
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Once again, you gift us with a generous masterpiece of words and images. 🙂
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Thank you Lola! And thanks for stopping by! 😊
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Looks yummy..:)
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Hi Marlene! I think you would like this. If you used yellow tomatoes, they would be milder and not very acidic!
I hope you are ready for the heat wave! I’ve been watering extra to get everything hydrated ahead of the summer sizzle! 😉
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I watered last night but it will take more to get through this. Once it gets hot, I have to water in the early morning hours. Being out there last evening almost wiped me out. I just don’t sweat and stay cool. Have plenty to do indoors so no problem with that.
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We will turn on the A/C for sure! Maybe I’ll run through the sprinklers! 😉 And you are invited to partake in the fun! 😉😉
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This is one of your finest posts! Such a beautiful and charming spot in Spain and all its delicious cuisine.
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Thank you ZD McGee! 😉
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