Cold Tomato Bread Soup with Basil

THE Summer Soup to devour! Healthy and delicious ~ a lightened up version with personality, creaminess and flavor. My take on Spanish Salmorejo. Vegan.

Ah… Summer Tomatoes ~ anyone who knows me understands my special affinity for this vegetable (well, really a fruit.) What’s better to eat and cook with than a perfectly ripe tomato?
I love all shapes, sizes and colors – as long as they have that just-picked-from the-vine-flavor! When the fruit is left on the vine to ripen in the sun it develops its full essence of distinctive flavor.

My Cold Tomato Bead Soup with Basil is a take on the Andalucia region’s famous soup: Salmorejo from Spain.

The ingredients are few – ripe, dark red vine ripened tomatoes are a must.

Here’s how to prepare it:
Cut tomatoes in quarters. Squeeze some of the seeds out and discard them.
Add tomatoes to a bowl with dry bread cubes (I use Sourdough Bread for it’s flavor and health benefits – see recipe) and toast gently in a skillet.

Why toast in a skillet? Sure you could toast in the oven, but it’s Summer and I’m not heating up the kitchen! Add some sliced garlic to the bowl and cover with boiling water for 20 minutes.
Than drain, reserving a cup of the tomato water for blending.

Blend well to break up, then add flavoring ingredients: sautéed softened shallots (don’t skip these), pinch of hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
Whirl until very smooth, scrape down the sides in the carafe… then blend another 2 minutes.

So creamy – no need to strain. Hint: I used my high-speed Vitamin blender.

Similar to a traditional tomato gazpacho but richer and smoother, this delightful cold soup is typical in the South of Spain. While this soup has a very creamy consistency (without cream in the recipe), it contains fewer ingredients than gazpacho.

It is made from ingredients that are as basic and Spanish as garlic, bread, olive oil, a little vinegar and salt. In the eighteenth century, tomatoes were then growing in the country, and incorporated into the recipe – so the original fifteenth century recipe changed in color from white to e reddish tone.
Typically is served cold and may be garnished with diced Spanish serrano ham and diced hard-boiled eggs.

The lovely silken texture which resulted from a dose of olive oil.