Salmorejo

This dish is a type of gazpacho that's unique to the south of Spain and specifically Cordoba. The mother of a Cordoban friend of mine showed me how to make this, and I find it much harder to screw up than gazpacho. The secret is to serve it fresh and not overdo it on the garlic. Some popular ways to serve it are poured into a plate and scooped up with apples or ripe honeydew melon (in Spain they use something closer to Santa Claus melon), in hors d'oeuvres sized tart shells garnished with hard-boiled eggs or serrano ham, or mopped up with slices of bread. This has been a big hit at my dinner parties and a consistent crowd pleaser. It's easy to double or triple to increase the yield. As learning recipes from mothers goes, I didn't get exact measurements for things so the ones I put are estimates.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3  vine tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  garlic clove
• 3 -4  slices  white bread, thin slices at room temperature (Italian works good)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Gradually blend tomatoes at a high setting until finely minced. Add olive oil in a thin stream through the top of the blender or gradually in small amounts between blending. Blend in garlic clove and salt.
2. Break up bread slices and gradually blend into tomato mix until it reaches the consistency of a thin dip. It should have a salmon pink color (maybe that's why the name "salmorejo" sounds like "salmon").